Trick
by gostlcards
Summary: Before the girls know who Chris is, but after Leo and Piper have...oh you know :D. This is an AU, kind of...Leo drugs Chris to get some answers.
1. Chapter 1

This is a long story, and I have a second chapter that I'm dabbling with. Please read and if you like it, tell me to continue or not. Give me some ideas even and I'll go off that. Either way, just please, read and tell me what you think. Hope you enjoy!

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Leo watched the young man from a distance, where he couldn't see him. He sat by his desk, mummuring over papers, books, writing things down in such a fervor it made him question what Chris was really there for. He looked at his hands which held the truth serum Paige had made earlier and went over their plan in his hand.

They agreed someone had to go make nice with Chris; the others had turned to him, eyebrows raised.

"Who? Me? No..."

"You're the elder." Paige said simply. He looked at her. Pheobe thrust the potion at him, a sarcastic smile on her face.

"Blessed be." He rolled his eyes at her remark and snatched the vial from her hand.

"I'll be back soon." He orbed out with an exasperated sigh.

And that's how he got here, in Chris' back apartment of P3, watching the boy under an invisibility cloak while he worked busily. Leo wondered if he would've even noticed his presence if he wasn't hidden. But it didn't matter.

He orbed himself outside in the bar, mixed a quick drink and mixed the potion in it. He walked over to Chris' door and knocked.

"Who is it?" He yelled.

"Leo."

There was a rustling of papers, a chair pulling out and hitting the wall and an aggravated sigh as the door flung open. Chris looked irritated but he stepped to the side.

"What do you want?"

"We need to talk. Here. Brought you a drink." He thrust the glass at Chris who eyed him warily, took the glass and walked over to the desk, not turning his back to Leo once. He set the glass down and drifted a few steps away, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Leo eyed the glass but turned his attention to Chris; he had to get him to believe him.

"Talk? About Wyatt I'm guessing? Yeah...because you guys trust me so much about that."

"Do you always have to be so damn sarcastic?" He bit off the last part, trying to keep the contempt out of his voice. "Look. I don't trust you; but I love my son. And," He took a deep breath, knowing he believed part of what he was about to say. "if he's going to be going bad, we need to know how to stop it. Him. Whatever changes him." Chris, still unsure, walked near the desk and grabbed the drink. He looked at it curiously, then at Leo.

"What is this?"

"Oh. Hm. 7up with Grenandine. Or, better known as a--"

"Shirley Temple. Thanks." He raised the glass, then took a swig. Leo felt his heart flutter in anticipation. It would take a few minutes for the potion to work and when that happened, he'd have what he wanted. "So why trust all of a sudden? You're not the type to quickly forgive and forget."

"I didn't say I did; I said I cared about my son. I can put my differences aside for his safety." And he didn't keep the contempt out as he stressed the point. Chris nodded; that was the Leo he knew.

"Okay then. Wyatt." He made his way to the desk and picked up his folder then made his way to the bed and sat. "I haven't found much, but I'm getting closer. There are demons that know things. We need to discuss with them; not exactly work with them, but talk to them, get information."

"Okay," Leo replied slowly. "However, how do we trust them?"

"Well, who else?" He rubbed his eyes. "Wow." He opened them wide, yawned and shook his head. "Drowsy all of a sudden." He half-chuckled. "Anyway, I think that-and you're not gonna like this-that someone on our side might have a part in it. Somebody pretty important."

"What? Like who?"

"That Leo," He blinked a few times, "is the million," yawned and leaned back, "dollar. question."

And he was asleep. Leo waited a few moments, lifted the boys legs onto the bed and sat next to him for a few moments before putting his hands on Chris neck. For a moment, he felt a twinge of guilt, but it dissipated as he thought about Wyatt. He closed his eyes and concentrated. There was a swirl of grey, a dizzy moment and then he stood, under a dark, foul sky, ruins lining the formerly beautiful San Francisco skyline and realized, with an unexpected sick horror, that he was in.

He walked around the park, his mouth agape in disbelief. The trees were singed; the air was heavy and damp, the smell of death and destruction invaded his nostrils and he wrinkled his noise is disgust. This was the world Wyatt was ruling? The world he unleashed for others? It couldn't be.

He came around a corner where statues once stood, the bodies of cherubs and fairies broken, nothing left but ruins on platforms. It depressed him; he brought Wyatt around this very spot often with Piper on days out.

"Will you Marry me?" Leo heard Chris' voice close and rushed to duck behind a bush. He peeked over, catching the conversation. He sat across from a girl Leo recognized as the one who had come back to kill Chris earlier, supposedly by Wyatt. A Pheonix. His gaze hardened. Aha, he thought. Dealing with the evil Perry.

"You're asking me now?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Here?"

"This is still our spot, Bianca, no matter what he's done to it. Marry me."

So engrossed in the scene unfolding in front of him, he didn't hear the approaching footsteps. He watched as the couple kissed, talked, said their goodbyes. Then something flew into the air.

"Chris!" Bianca yelled as the probe scanned her face and he threw it against a delapitated stone structure with a grunt. It exploded and he immediately turned to her.

"Are you ok?"

Leo watched, captivated by the scene in front of him. Magic was one thing; technology was another. This...this was not something he wanted his son to become. A spy. A dictator.

"Enjoying the show?" Leo spun around to see another Chris, dressed in the same clothes he was in at the club. Leo leaned back, careful not reveal himself. Chris scoffed. "Bianca and I can't see you, don't worry. This is merely a dream; a memory. Now answer my question. What did you put in my drink?"

"What do you think?" Leo got up, brushing himself off. He turned his attention to the couple again just in time to see them kiss passionately and watched them seperate as that Chris stepped into the portal which would take him to their time.

Leo's eyes darted from Chris, to the portal, then back to Chris. He was visibly pained, his jaw was clenched, eyes focused. Then, there was nothing but a bright light and a single path. He and Leo stood alone.

Chris turned abruptly and punched Leo in the face, sending him flying backwards. He reeled as he fell to the ground, clutching his jaw.

"Dammit Chris! There is no need..."

"You drugged me! You acted like you wanted to help and you drugged me! You are wasting precious time on meaningless crap." He walked over to Leo and offered his hand. "And that was just to get you back." He held his hand and Leo eyed him as he grabbed it and was helped up. "But you can fix it. Get us out of here, while we can."

"Okay. One, I can't. we're stuck here until the memories-dreams, whatever, are done. And Two, what do you mean while we can?"

"I don't want you to see my nightmares, my memories, my world. Can you imagine how that can change the future? You've seen too much already."

"well, you wouldn't tell us anything and we needed to know. This is the only---"

"God Dammit Leo! You know better." His voice was pained, weak. Leo was taken aback. Chris, always level-headed, was obviously afraid of something.

"Chris?"

"You wanna know why I'm blocked from Pheobe? I took my own little potion someone made for me once; it keeps me from having those nightmare's, those dreams. But now...I don't want to relive this, especially with you here." He was begging him and Leo actually felt sorry for him. But he couldn't do anything and told Chris such.

Chris turned his back to him and stood in his anger silently for a few moments before turning around.

"I'll never forgive you for this. Ever." His tone was cold and hard, his eyes the same. Leo didn't care; he needed to know everything about Chris. This was the only way, and he explained such to Chris.

"Fine. Whatever. But don't say I didn't ask to stop. Don't blame me."

"Why would I blame you?" But Chris brushed the question away and grumbled something. "Excuse me?"

"I said," He shot an irritated look at the man. "I'll be your guide. I'll explain what's happening."

"Or I could just infer." Leo said. "Your side could be drastically different than the truth."

"Whatever. I don't care, at this point." He began to feel a pull and his face paled. "Oh no."

"What?"

"Buckle your seat belt, Leo. You're up for a bumpy ride."

Chris' inside snaked as they stood in the cemetary. It wasn't a memory which would reveal him yet; but that was coming. He dreaded it; it was the worst of the bunch, the worst day of his life. And yet, while he was terrified of the reaction he'd get, he was sort of relieved. He'd have someone now, who knew. Granted, it was Leo; but still. Someone.

"Where are we?" Chris looked at Leo, exasperated.

"Well, I don't know Leo," He began sarcastically. "All these stones and flowers and stuff...hm. What do you think it is?"

"Smart ass."

"Shut up. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."

"Look, we all wanted to know what you're about; I'm just the tool."

"Yeah, I bet you are." Chris muttered under his breath, then shuttered in disgust at what he'd said. He turned his attention to the scene in front of him. He was 18 here, standing on a path in front of a grave, his eyes shiny from unshed tears.

"What is this?" Leo asked, coming next to Chris. They stood behind the grave facing his 18 year old self, watching as he swallowed hard, trying to get his composure.

"I don't know what happened Mom. Everything's just gone to hell in a handbasket. And I don't...I don't know what to do." He crouched at the front of the stone, tracing the letters. "I need you. I need you Mom, so bad. Oh man..." He hung his head, tears falling. Leo again looked at the Present Chris whose face was like the marble of the gravestone. Hard, unwilling.

"What is going on?"

"Well, my mother's dead." Chris replied huskily. Leo looked down towards a bush.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I mean, I can see...what I meant..." Chris cut him off, turning to lead him down the opposite way. He couldn't risk Leo seeing the name on the stone. Not just yet.

"There's much more to it though Leo. Come on, let's walk. If you're gonna find out about stuff, I might as well tell you about what's going on in the world."

"Where are we anyway?" Chris sent him a withering glance over his shoulder. "I know that it's a cemetary, Chris. But...it looks familiar."

"My mother was one of the first buried here. It's at an old park though, one I would come to when I was a kid. My mother died when I was 14 though, and as you can see, it's already filled up a good deal." He waved his arm around. "Thanks to your neighborhood evil ruler." Leo's eyes widened.

"Wyatt."

"Yes. Wyatt." He looked away. "But yeah. At this point, just recently, there was a horrible battle. Wyatt launched an assualt on all those who oppose him and...there were a lot of casualties."

"But...why? Why is he doing this?"

The two were walking down a stone path through the cemetary now. The sun beat down, heating their backs and causing them to squint. Chris stuffed his hands in his pockets and sighed.

"Power. Whatever happens to Wyatt in your time illustrates to him that whoever has power will never have to hurt, will never have to be afraid. He is determined to be that person."

"How do you know all this? How do talk like you know it all?" Leo asked accusingly, causing Chris to sigh in exasperation yet again.

"Our families knew each other." He lied. "In my future, I know you guys, you know me, the whole shebang. I helped to lead the rebellion." He stood, his chest out as if daring Leo to verbally lash out. Surprisingly, he stayed quiet.

"I just don't understand what could've happened..."

"Well, I was working on that before you all decided to drug me." Chris spat. He began to step forward, ready to launch another verbal assault on Leo as anger balled in his stomach when he felt the familiar pull. "Oh no..."

"What?" Leo's eyes darted looking for danger.

"We're moving on to the next one," Chris said, his demeanor suddenly changing. His eyes looked at Leo, wide and fearful. "And I think I know what it is."

Suddenly, it flashed for a moment, blinding them for a second. When they opened their eyes, they found themselves outside on the driveway of the manner. An SUV and a junker were parked next to each other, kids riding in their bikes up and down the road. The sky was bright, the air warm and birds singing. Leo expected Chris to be in a better mood now; it seemed like a good time to live. Instead Chris looked more terrified than ever.

"No..."

"What are we at the Manor for?" Leo asked. Chris swallowed and began walking to the door. "Chris!"

"Look, you want to know what's for real? Here's your chance. Let's go." He opened the door. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

They entered the home and it was the same old manor despite it being 15 years in the future. Leo looked around and sniffed.

"Do I smell oatmeal cookies?" He perked.

"If you have any questions, ask me." Chris said quietly, his voice shaking. "And remember, you're not actually here."

They walked into the kitchen area to where the dining room table was. A backpack was thrown on the table, opened with books spilling out of it. The boy working on it had his back to them, bent over his work, writing furiously.

"Chris, honey, here. Take a break." Piper bustled in, a glass of milk in one hand and a plate with cookies on it in the other. Leo gaped. The boy looked up, revealing a young face with a frustrated look in his eyes.

"Thanks, but I have to get this stuff done. I have my Magic finals tomorrow, Mom! I'm not prepared."

"Oh baby, come on. Everyone needs a break, you've been working for a few hours now. Come on." She sat next to him. "If you don't, you're grounded."

He grinned back at her and took a cookie. "Well, if you put it that way, then I guess I'll have to..."

Leo turned, his eyes wide in shock. Chris stood leaning against the doorway, a sad smile on his face as he watched his younger self interacting with his mother.

"Chris?" Leo whispered.

"I'm 14 here." He mummured. "Studying, if you can imagine. I always took after you in that respect. I wanted to be perfect. Neurotic, if I've heard you all descibe me correctly in recent past."

"Chris?" Leo, still in shock, walked to him. "You're..."

"Your son." He croaked. He cleared his throat. "You and Piper have been spending a lot of time together recently, right?" He gestured to his dream self. "This version of me was conceived on happy terms; on a vacation. However, in the current past, even though I've broken you guys up..." He shook his head sadly. "Thank god you really love each other."

"She's pregnant?" Chris looked at him.

"She doesn't know either." He walked over to behind himself, watching as his younger self and mother took playful jabs at one another as he munched happily.

"...well, your Aunt Paige tells me you are doing just fine in school. That you're at the top of your class."

"Yeah, but, I want to stay at the top of my class. So I have to start studying again."

"Okay, okay." She bent down to grab his empty glass and plate, crumbs spattered on it. She kissed his head and he hesitated a moment in his writing as her arm snaked around his neck in a half hug, which he returned. Leo was captivated by the scene.

"Mom?" The younger Chris spoke minutes later. Piper came back into the dining room, wiping her hands on a dish rag. "Dad's not coming to visit this weekend, is he?" She bit her lip and Leo shot a look at Chris.

"It's coming soon..." He muttered, his eyes darting around the room, searching for imminent danger and avoiding Leo's glance. He knew the scene in front of him; it had replayed itself many times in his head before he took the blocking potion his aunt had made for him.

"Chris, your dad..." She pulled out a chair and sat across from him. The youngster looked down at his work. "Chris, look at me."

"He never comes when he says he will."

"He's a busy guy, Chris. He's the only one up there, running things all by himself. You have to understand that."

"He's my dad." He tossed the pencil down, aggravated. "He hates me, doesn't he?"

"Chris, no!" She sprang up and rushed around the table. "Christopher, your dad does not hate you. He loves you very, very much. He's just very..."

"Busy, I know. Why even have a family if he's not going to be here with us?" Piper pursed her lips, then opened her mouth to comfort and rested her hand on his shoulder. Chris cut her off. "I have to work." He snapped his pencil back up, his face scowling. Piper stepped back, slightly hurt by her sons attitude, but she understood. Victor had never really been there for her when she was a child. She was happy he was there for the boys now; at least there was one male role in the family.

A crash interrupted the thought processes of both of them and they looked up to see a man in black robes standing in the hallway, a fiery ball of energy floating in his hand.

"Get down!" Piper screamed as she moved to freeze him. He did, but she knew it would merely stall him.

"Mom, he's really powerful..."

"Chris, GET DOWN." She growled. "Leo! Paige! Wyatt!" Chris knew it was getting serious; he knew his mother would never call out one of them to help if it wasn't.

"Chris, what's going on?" Leo asked, hurrying over to the older version who now had paled considerably.

"She's going to die. Now."

He looked away just in time for the Demon to unfreeze and fling the energy ball at her. She dodged it and it hit the wall beside her. Chris jumped up, certain he could help somehow and the demon took a chance. He threw a dagger at the boy before Piper could freeze him. She then threw her body in front of him and the younger boy saw her face contort in pain as the dagger hit her in the back. The demon grinned sinisterly and chuckled before dissipating back to where he came from. But Chris didn't see him. All he could do was catch her as she fell, gasping for breath.

"Mom! Oh no, Mom...!" He crouched under her weight, careful to lie her on her side on his legs so the knife wouldn't touch the floor. "Dad! DAD! I need you, dad! Wyatt! Aunt Paige! Anybody!" He began to sob. "Anybody! Help!"

"Chris...shhhh...honey..." Piper was gasping. He clutched her, sobbing.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I got up, I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier...I'm so sorry I'm such a bad kid...mom, please don't leave...I need you...mom, I'm sorry, please..."

"Chris, none of this..." She took a deep breath. "None of this is your fault, you hear me? I love you. I'm proud of you. You're my baby..." She coughed. "I love you so much...you remember that, okay?"

"Mom, no..." He whimpered.

"I love you baby...I love you..." She whispered, fading off.

"Mom no! Mom no, please mom..." He was shrieking an unhuman sound, wounded, terrified and clutching her. He wished his healing powers were strong, like Wyatt's and his fathers, his Aunt's even, but he knew it would do nothing and he couldn't bear the thought of letting go of her. She was still breathing, there was still time! "Dad! Dad I need you! WYATT! ANYBODY!"

Meanwhile, Leo stood with his grown son in the corner watching. Chris was stoic, watching with painful eyes, his arms crossed in front of his body and Leo watched in absolute horror. He broke away from Chris, who just watched him kneel beside her and put his hands over her back. "What are you doing?"

"I can help her." Tears sprang to his eyes as he watched her chest to begin to slow, the younger boy beginning to cry harder, begging for his father or brother to hear him. But it was to no avail. She was soon dead.

"You could't do anything now, Leo. You're not here." Chris whispered. Leo rose and walked next to him, his shoulders slumped. They watched as Wyatt orbed it in and took in the scene, his features turning from those of annoyance at being pulled out of a study date, to those of horror as he saw his brother, their mother's blood drenching his clothes as he sobbed into her. He rushed over and attempted to heal, but it was too late. Wyatt began to cry slowly, and circled one of his arms around his younger brother.

"Chris..." Leo looked at the older boy now as the scene began to fade into white around them. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"What are the first rules of time travel Leo? Especially to the past? Don't tell anyone anything that might change the future! Never!" A bench materialized and he sat down on it and ran his hands through his hair, an aggravated sigh releasing itself.

"But Chris--I just...I'm sorry to..."

"Please Leo; please, just leave me alone. Just..." He stared off. "I'll answer anything you want if you just leave now; you got what you wanted, so go. Let me sleep and go. Please." It was almost as if he was begging and it pained Leo to know whatever happened in the future made his son dislike him so much.

"Okay. But Chris?"

"Yeah?" He didn't turn to Leo, and his voice sounded deadpanned, a strangled and forced sound.

"Just...I'm sorry. For everything." And he walked away, into a deeper, brighter part of the light and opened his eyes moments later, and saw he was back in the apartment. He laid there for a moment, then sat up and shook his head. Oh god...

Piper was pregnant! Chris was his son! His SON! His mind was reeling, his stomach turned as he tried to digest the information. He stopped however, when he heard a soft whimper from the body next to him.

Chris lay, still asleep, with his arms crossed over his chest, but there were tears coming down his face.

"Mom..." He moaned in his sleep. Leo's face pained; and he had now brought this on the boy. He felt guilt take over his nervousness and he slowly rested a hand on Chris back, trying to calm him with his touch.

It didn't work. The boy still twitched in his sleep, moaning as he rolled a little, tears falling slowly still. Leo stared in pain, knowing he was grieving over something lost, something he was having to face day in and day out now without anyone knowing how much pain he was in. Leo had the sudden urge to hold the boy, but he knew he couldn't.

He sat for a moment, wondering. Then, he realized exactly what he could do. A spell he had learned, to help people fall asleep, sleep without interruptions. He found it helped heal better.

He laid his hands on the boys neck as he had done when he had first entered his dreams,but now focused on settling his mind. He was successful; Chris stopped fidgetting. His tears dried, leaving little damp trails down his face, but over all, he relaxed.

When he would wake hours later, he would sit up, trying to recollect what had happened. In moments, he would remember being drugged, remember the horror of Leo being there in his dreams, seeing everything he wished he could stop remembering. And then...he remembered just falling into a deep sleep. His mind raced; he should've stayed on the dream plane, but instead, feel below it, just enough to get rest. He wondered...then he knew. Leo.

He sat on his bed, thoughts racing as he let his head rest in his hands. This was going to be a disaster; but he also felt an insurmountable weight lifted off his shoulders. Someone knew. Granted, it was Leo, but someone knew. Everytime he looked at Piper in pain, everytime he avoided talking about his past, talking about the pain Wyatt would bring upon the world in such a fervor, Leo would know. And he would understand. Why else would he have saved him from reliving the pain alone, evenin his dreams?

So? Awkward last sentence, I know...but what do you think?


	2. Chapter 2

I forgot a disclaimer the first time, so here:

Disclaimer: Obviously, don't own Charmed or any of the characters.

nighttime writer : I totally didn't even know that anonymous review blocker thing was on! Thank you for letting me know!

CharmedBec: And I'll update if you do! ;) lol….I love your story "False Memories".

Also, thanks to everyone else who reviewed. Here's some more :D

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Leo orbed into the manor's living room, his head a whirl of confusion and guilt. He had watched Chris, his son, relive the most painful moments of his life and he was the one who had forced it!

"So?" Paige stepped out from the kitchen. "What did you find?" Piper and Phoebe followed from the other direction and stood, staring at Leo expectantly.

"Umm...he's good. Perfect, actually. Really, probably the best of any of us." He rubbed his head and walked into the kitchen as the sisters exchanged confused glances, then followed with gusto.

"What? Just like that? He's good?" Piper asked incredulously.

"Look, Piper..." He sighed. "He's been through a lot, okay? I just think that we should let him be for awhile. It was really hard on him." He sat on the couch.

"Wait. Wait a minute." Phoebe stood in front of Leo, hands on hips. "You're telling me he's clean? Nothing wrong?"

"Is there something you misunderstood from that?"

"Look,--"

"No, you look Phoebe." He got up. "We really shouldn't have pushed it, or at least, not in that way. He had to relive everything because of how we did it."

"Why do you care, though? Even if he is clean, he's still a neurotic nuisance!" Paige sniped.

"Paige. Don't." Leo muttered. "Just. Leave it be. He's good, he's clean."

"Chris?" Leo materialized outside his door at P3, waiting for an answer. It had been 3 days since he had tricked him, but the girls were starting to wonder too much. He had to talk to Chris about what was going on.

"Just a sec," Chris said from inside. He got up with a sigh and answered the door with little enthusiasm. He exaggerated a look at Leo's hands. "What, no spiked grenadine?"

"I said I was sorry." Leo said.

"Yeah, well. Sorry doesn't fix it, but whatever." He walked away from the door back to his desk and sat down. "Come on in."

"Thanks. Um...we need to talk."

"No, we don't." Chris said. He was writing continually throughout the exchange, concentrating on that.

"Chris, look at me." Leo said. Chris stayed writing. "Chris." Nothing. "Chris!"

When the younger man didn't look up, Leo's temper rose. He was usually good about keeping it, but this was serious. So...

"Hey!" Chris yelled. Leo grabbed him and forced him to orb with him to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge. Without their work. "What the hell, Leo!"

"We need to talk."

"Leo, we don't have the time to talk." He began to orb, but Leo stopped him.

"The girls are starting to ask questions."

"So let them ask." He began to orb out again, but stopped himself, a look of anxiety settling on his face. "You told them?"

"No. I'm not going to. But...you need to get back into the swing of everything. You staying away kinda looks suspicious, you understand?" Chris met his stare with a stony one but quickly began to nod.

"Yeah...makes sense." He muttered. He ran his hand through his hair. "That's it right? I can go now?"

"Actually, no. We need to talk."

"About what?"

"I think you know."

"Not the time, Leo."

"Well, when will it be the time Chris?"

"When hell freezes over, pigs fly and you become a better father. Never, Leo." He orbed out, leaving a stunned and hurt Leo standing alone on top of the bridge, feeling more solitary than ever before.

Chris sat in his room, his head spinning, blood rushing hot through his veins. He was just so angry! How dare Leo just ask him those questions, to even think he deserved to know those things.

He doesn't, he told himself. Even though he really hasn't done anything yet, he doesn't.

But he still felt bad. It was an angry outburst, a lashing out against a man who had no knowledge except for that one sliver of what he had seen. And his mother had not raised him to be like that. With a sigh, he flopped back on his bed. He was gonna have to apologize.

Meanwhile, across town, Piper sat in the bathroom, staring at the stick in her hand as it turned positive. She threw her head back against the wall with a sigh.

"Piper," a knock came with a door and then it opened slowly. She tucked the test behind her back.

"Phoebe! Why even knock?"

"Because it's polite."

"Well, you know what's not polite?" Phoebe waved the question off with a dismissive air and a fling of the hand and stood in the bathroom, looking down at her sister.

"What are you doing in here?"

Piper sighed. She was going to have to tell them sooner or later. With a roll of her eyes, she pulled the test out and shoved it toward her sister.

"I'm late." Phoebe look at the stick in confusion, then absolute shock as it registered.

"Oh my god, you're pregnant! Oh my...wait. Is Leo...? Piper!" Piper flushed and looked away. "But...maybe it's not positive. I mean, these things can be wrong right?"

"I've taken three of them." She said. "I'm pretty sure I'm pregnant. I've been throwing up for the past couple of days and this morning, I had the weirdest craving..."

"Oh man..." Phoebe slid down the wall next to her, resting on her heels. "What are you gonna do?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm gonna have a baby."

"When are you gonna tell Leo?" Phoebe asked. Piper rose slowly, shaking her head.

"I'm not."

"What!"

"Phoebe, it was hard enough for him to leave one kid. I'm just gonna let him go...up there, and I'll stay here, and..."

"And what happens when he sees the baby when he comes back? What if he comes down before the baby is born?"

"Well, I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

It was at that moment that the very subject of conversation orbed into the house. Leo walked up the hall, calling for them. Piper looked at Phoebe with wide eyes.

"Hide it."

Phoebe looked at her with taunting eyes, but did as she was told, folding it deeply in toilet paper and quickly flushed it, just as Leo came to the door.

"There you are. I've been looking for you." He leaned against the doorframe. Piper rose from the tile, slightly apprehensive now that she knew what grew inside of her, and how she knew she had to keep him from knowing.

"What for?"

"I want to talk to you. About me hanging around here a little bit longer." He paused and looked at Piper. "About us, too."

"Us?" Her voice was tight and high. Phoebe cleared her throat and started to walk toward the door.

"I think I...have to go...do something." Leo stepped aside and Phoebe strode past quickly, leaving the two alone.

"So...us."

"Yeah." He smiled softly, then chuckled a little. She squinted, analyzing his behavior. Ever since he had examined Chris, he was different. Mellow, almost, but still the cautious Leo. "I'm coming down. For awhile."

"You mean, for good?"

"I want to be here. With you, Wyatt and," He caught himself, determined to not relay the secret about Chris. "and...my family. I want to see Wyatt grow."

"You think you can just do that? Come back? Leo, you can't just jerk us around like that. It's not good for Wyatt, it confuses him." _It confuses **me**._

"I know," He tipped his head toward her, "but I need to follow my heart, and not my head. I've missed too much already."

"Yes, you have." She walked toward him and bit her lip hesitantly. "And what was that about us?"

"You keep going back to that." He chuckled. She stepped back a little.

"Well, if you didn't mean it--" She prepared to reprimand him, but he interrupted it with a kiss. She fought it at first, but gave in as a warm feeling flushed through her. She knew she wanted it; the proof was in the stick that had just been flushed. And if he was serious...

His hand moved to her shoulder and he drove the kiss deeper, encircling her and holding her tighter until they were full blown making out right in the hall. And it would have possibly kept going further, but they were interrupted.

"Must you do this in the hall? There's a bedroom; 5 feet away." A sardonic voice came from behind and they broke apart, gasping. Piper licked her lips and shied away, readjusting her shirt and hair. Leo grinned sheepishly, and ran his hand through his hair and they both looked at their son-unbeknownst to Piper, who probably would've been more mortified had she known. However, she didn't, and gave him a look that could kill.

"Chris. What are you doing here?"

"Couldn't we ask Leo the same?"

"What Leo does-what this FAMILY does-is none of your business. And for you information, Leo's going to be here now; he's on sabbatical as an elder. So maybe you can leave."

Chris's eyes went to Leo's, and for a moment, Leo could swear he saw a glimmer of hope at the prospect of Leo staying. It was quickly replaced with a desperate one. "But we still don't know about Wyatt---"

"Again, Chris, what this family-" Piper advanced now, irritation and anger blatant on her face.

"Actually, I think he should stay; he knows things about the future what we could use." Leo interjected. Piper stood, mouth slight agape and looking between the two. She could see something there...a trust, a bond or something.

"What the hell happened last week?"

"Nothing." Both answered quickly. Too quickly for Piper's comfort, but she let it go when she saw the look they exchanged.

"Fine. Stay. Just...don't just pop in without warning, okay?"

"No problem, believe me." He raised his eyebrows, holding his hands up defensively. "Anyway, I have a lead on an underworld demon, and I just wanted to let you know I was going down there, in case you needed to get a hold of me. But I guess with Leo here, it doesn't matter."

"You're right, it doesn't." She snuffed, crossing her arms in front of her. His face looked wounded throughout this entire conversation though, and she had become less angry as the minutes passed. She didn't like Chris, but she did have a soft spot for a man who would risk his life to save her son. "But thank you for letting us know. Now, if you'll both excuse me, I have to go cook. We're having lasagna for dinner, if either of you wanted some." She disappeared down the hallway and Leo watched as Chris, unaware of it himself, let the raw pain of his mother's dislike show on his face for a few brief moments before he turned to Leo. He fumbled with his hands, sticking them in his pockets nervously as he gestured with his head toward the bedroom. Leo followed and sat on the bed, and Chris closed the door behind him.

"Look, Leo. I need to...apologize for what I said earlier. On the bridge." He spoke softly and avoided his father's eyes, licking his lips. "I...you have to try and understand where I'm coming from."

"And you have to know that I'm sorry for whatever may have happened then; but...I can do better."

"I know, and...You haven't yet done that. The whole, bad dad thing. So it wasn't right for me to yell at you like that." He shook his head. "I mean, you're a great dad to Wyatt..." Leo caught the edge and resentment in the statement and jumped up from his seated position, placing a hand on Chris' shoulder.

"And I am going to be a great dad to you." He said. Chris looked up at him, his eyes filled with doubt and hurt. He swallowed, shrugged and spoke, changing the subject.

"I have to get going." Leo looked away from his eyes and nodded, a little hurt from his son's change of subject but he had no choice but let it go.

"What about the lasagna? You know, no one makes better lasagna than Piper." He said. Chris sent him a glance.

"Then you enjoy it. I have business to attend to." He began to orb, but Leo pulled him back, Chris staring at him incredulously.

"You're not going down there alone."

"Excuse me!"

"It's too dangerous Chris."

"Who's going to stop me?"

"Me."

They didn't realize their voices were loud, and they didn't realize that, although they were indistinguishable, the girls downstairs could still there was something wrong.

"What in the hell?" Phoebe asked, looking up.

"Oh, Leo and Chris are going at it." Piper said. "Chris walked in on us making out. Possibly something because of that."

While it was true that they were bickering, she was blatantly wrong about the subject matter. Chris had tried to orb again, and Leo had just pulled him back. Now, they faced each other, Chris' face set in determination.

"You're going to stop me?"

"I think I'm doing a pretty good job so far."

"What the hell does it matter now that it's too dangerous, Leo? I've done this before."

"Because I said so, Chris. Damn, you must've been one hell of a teenager."

"Don't worry, you were never around to put up with anything!" He yelled, outraged. Leo stepped back, and Chris just stood there glaring, breathing heavily with so much anger. "Whatever. I don't fucking care. I'll eat the damn lasagna, and play nice, and then, I guess, we'll go down tomorrow."

"Chris--"

"No, Leo, don't. Just. Call me when it's ready." And with that, Chris orbed out. Leo knew where he was going, but he didn't follow. Whatever Chris had to work out, whatever he needed, the bridge was His Place.

He made his way to the kitchen where the girls stood and Wyatt sat in his high chair as his mother worked. He walked up with a smile, and scooped up the infant, who giggled with delight as his father continued playing with him by blowing on his belly. Piper smiled at the scene before her.

"He's gonna love having you home."

"I'm gonna love being home. Chris will be coming back for dinner too."

"Oh really?" Paige said, her eyebrow rose. "He's never stayed before when we invited him."

"Yeah, and didn't he have to go to the underworld? Demon investigating?" Piper asked.

"I asked him to stay. Look, we did a horrible thing last week; I'm trying to make up for it." All three looked at him, surprised. "Besides, I wanted to go down with him, so I asked him to wait until tomorrow."

The sisters exchanged questioning looks, then looked at him skeptically. Of course, they wanted to know what the hell had shaken Leo so much that his entire attitude about their neurotic white lighter. He cared for him now, in a way that was unexplainable and none of the girls could imagine what would change his demeanor so quickly.

But whatever it was, they knew they weren't going to get the answer from Leo. He avoided the question with a simple shake of the head and a change of subject. Now, Piper merely shrugged and kept arranging the dinner, happy to just have the man she loved back with the family for the time being, and even possibly for good.

Chris stared at the scene in front of him as he orbed in for dinner. His aunts sat at the table with his father and Wyatt, while his mother bustled around, the smell of her home cooking in the air. He watched as she turned, laughing and grinning, and he was reminiscent of a time when he was truly happy.

The picture was broken. When Piper saw him standing in the doorway, her happy look morphed to one of mere tolerance and she offered a tight smile.

"Chris. It's good of you to join us. There's a seat there." She nodded toward the end of the table. He nodded and muttered his thanks as he pulled out his seat and sat back. He watched at first as the family chatted and took their share of portions, totally ignoring his presence and he wondered, once more to himself, why he was there.

He had always avoided these meals that he was invited to for the mere purpose of avoiding hanging around them. He didn't want something to slip. He was also afraid, he had to admit, that he would get attached; not that he didn't love them. But attached...not when he would have to leave them and go back to a future that may not be all wine and roses.

"Chris? Chris!" He was shaken from his thoughtful stupor by Phoebe's stern voice and looked up to see 4 pairs of eyes staring at him. He grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, I was thinking about...stuff." He cleared his throat.

"Did you want some salad?"

"Naw, I think I'll dig right in to the lasagna. If it's okay." He added the last part quickly, not wanting to seem too comfortable, too rude. They nodded and passed it to him and the familiar smell hit him square in the face. He laughed in spite of himself and quickly cut himself a piece, not noticing the crazy stares he was getting from the rest of them until he looked up. "What?"

"What are you laughing for?"

"It's just...familiar." The word wasn't his prime choice and he scowled as soon as it left his mouth. Paige shot Phoebe a questioning glance as she grabbed the pan to get some herself.

"Familiar?" Piper asked. Leo, seeing what Chris had done, decided to interject and change the subject.

"So, what did you do today Paige? You were gone all day." He saw Chris shoot him a relieved glance out of the corner of his eye, but no one else seemed to notice. Paige began to launch into her tales of Magic school, and the antics the kids had gotten into.

And they sat; each talking and laughing, and Chris found himself feeling as if he belonged. He didn't notice he was being studied by Piper, who watched as he laughed and chatted with the sisters, recalling tales of his own childhood at Magic school. She noted that he was relaxed and happy, the smile on his face neither forced nor pained. It hid nothing as did most of his expressions and she smiled as she realized she had forgotten that Chris was a 22 year old kid, with his whole life ahead of him and this huge responsibility resting on him.

God, she thought. No wonder he is so uptight all the time. She remembered back to when she found out who she was; a witch, who was supposed to fight all the evils of the world, risking her life time and time again, and no one to know about it.

The chatter continued into the night until after Piper had put Wyatt down for the night and they were all gathered in the kitchen, helping to clean up the mess the meal had left.

"So Chris, you seem to have had fun tonight." Leo said, a smile on his face. Chris genuinely smiled back.

"I did. It's...been awhile since I've been able to...have a good, home cooked meal."

"Well that, mister, is a shame." Piper said. She looked at him, resting her hands on the counter in front of her. "You know, Chris, we don't hate you. You should come around more often." He shifted uncomfortably now as he felt himself become the center of attention and the scrutiny of their stares.

"I know you don't hate me. But...I can't...get too comfortable."

"Why not?"

"Because something might slip." He said, unable to contain it. He closed his eyes in frustration. "Like that."

"Something might slip? What is the big secret about?" Paige asked. "What the hell happened last week, anyway? We never got any real answers."

"Oh, Leo did." He snapped sarcastically. "And might I add, can I have that potion? Does a great job of putting someone under, being able to intrude on their thoughts and dreams and anything else that is none. of. anyone's. business."

And suddenly, a wonderful evening began to turn sour.

"You weren't telling us anything Chris. We needed to know that you were safe."

"And the fact that I was risking my life to come here and save your nephew, Piper and Leo's son, from becoming the monster he will become, is not enough?"

"Watch it Chris." Piper warned.

"He's right." Leo murmured. They all turned their attention to him, each surprised that he had spoken up for Chris. "What I saw...we can't let that happen." Chris met Leo's gaze from across the table and he knew he wasn't necessarily talking about the evil person Wyatt might become. Chris took a deep breath.

"Look, I swear; if it gets to a point where it's necessary, I will tell you everything. But...it would be best if you all didn't know. Okay?" He was begging now, and the girls realized it. So they sighed and nodded.

"Fine."

"But," Phoebe interjected. "If anything serious happens, you have to tell us everything."

"Deal." Chris breathed. "Now, can I go? I need to rest up for tomorrow. You too, Leo."

"Yeah, I know. Am I staying here for tonight?"

"Of course." Piper replied. "You can stay in the guest room, down the hall from the Nursery."

"Sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow, Chris? Bright and early?" Chris nodded.

"I'll see you all later; and Piper, thanks for the dinner. It was delicious." She nodded in return. As he orbed out, she turned to Leo.

"There is something going on, and something happens...I swear Leo Wyatt--"

"Nothing bad, I swear on my mother's life. Let's just...get ready for bed, okay?"

"Actually, I need to talk to you." Piper looked at Phoebe's, whose eyes grew wide. She looked at Paige and motioned for the two of them to leave and eventually slid out quietly, with brief good nights to both, leaving them standing in the hall alone.

"About what?"

"Um..."

"Piper?"

She took a deep breath, wringing her hands. She was going to tell him about the pregnancy, because he was staying. She'd been thinking about it all night, throughout the dinner, watching him and how he was acting, and she knew she couldn't keep this from him.

"Piper, what is it?" Concern clouded his eyes and stepped toward her, taking her nervous hands in his own.

"I'm pregnant."


	3. Chapter 3

I just moved to Florida, I'm working for Disney as cheap labor...:D But I can go to the parks whenever and do lots so it's not a total loss. Anyway, that's why it's been so long. It's not my best work ever...but it'll get better. Enjoy!

* * *

Almost two months had passed and nothing had really come along at all. Leo was a regular fixture in the home now, participating in even little happening in the Manor; however, on the Wyatt front, he and Chris seemed to be getting nowhere. Every now and then, something would come, but it never would solve it; it was most of the time a mere breadcrumb, leading to only God knew.

"This is so frustrating!" Chris slammed yet another book closed as he and Leo sat in his apartment at P3. Leo sighed.

"Calm down; getting angry will fix nothing."

"Says you! Leo, there is a deadline---"

"I know, Chris. You've said that. But freaking out about it won't make it happen sooner."

"Oh, yeah, and just not looking is gonna help loads."

"Oh nice. Sarcasm. That helps, Chris." Leo was a little tired of his attitude and Chris could tell by his tone, but he merely rolled his eyes at him and tossed the book on the ground as he rose to go to the bar. They were at P3, somewhere Chris felt more comfortable doing work at. Plus, with Leo knowing the truth, he feared it could be too easily revealed at the Manor.

"You want something?"

"Water, if you don't mind."

"I don't." He quickly poured the drinks; Leo's being water, his own being some rum to loosen him up.

"So," Leo began as Chris handed him the glass. "Are we gonna talk about this?"

"About what?"

"About the sisters. Piper is...getting further along everyday." Chris didn't look up, so Leo continued. "You have to tell her. She deserves to know."

"The consequences of it could..."

"Benefit a lot. Chris...you coming back will alter the future, why won't you just tell her? You don't have to tell her about..." Chris silenced him with a look before he could speak of her death, and Leo looked away. It seemed that one of the things Chris inherited was his stubborn nature. The silence stretched a few moments as they both sipped their drinks, but Leo didn't mind it. Just being around Chris, he could feel his comfort level rising, could see that they both were getting along better than before. Chris broke the silence with a sigh as he gulped the last of his drink.

"I'll think about it, Leo. That's all I can promise."

At Magic School, in a back room, Gideon paced back and forth, reading books while furiously turning the pages. "He must be eliminated."

"Of course...but can't we do it without killing him? Send him back to his own time perhaps?" Sigmund didn't have the violent streak that Gideon did, didn't have the ability to strike someone down. He really preferred to avoid any physical mess, as much as possible. Gideon gave him a withering glare.

"He keeps going around, getting demons to reveal a little more each time...he's going to find us out." Gideon slammed a book shut and strode over to another, snatching it from the bookshelf and reading it furiously. Sigmund slowly walked after him, gazing around the library, knowing his next question would cause some irritation.

"Must we really do this anyway? Eliminate Wyatt?"

"How can you even ask such a question? Of course we must!" Gideon stormed into the adjoining room, scanning book after book, looking for any clue to help solve his problem with the future white lighter. "He's too powerful and if he does turn...it could be disastrous."

"But he's an infant...couldn't what we are doing contribute to...turning?"

"This is why we have to stop him now. Lytus!" He bellowed. A demon shimmered in as Gideon slammed the book closed.

"Gideon. What do you summon me for now?"

"Now? You act as if I'm an inconvenience. I spared your life, I think anytime I want to summon you I should be able to."

The demon grumbled in response and shrugged, and noticed Sigmund's fearful, off-standish manner. He took a quick step at him and spoke. "Boo!" Sigmund jumped, but quickly attempted to cover it up. Lytus merely cackled.

"Enough!" Roared Gideon. "I did not call you here for your enjoyment and to torture my poor assistant. No, I have a job for you."

"A job?"

"A white lighter, who is from the future. He's investigating things, and becoming a threat to my...personal, mission."

"Personal mission? What might that be?" Lytus asked, knowing it was probably something not good. Gideon merely scowled in response.

"None of your business. But this white lighter, Chris Perry is his name, spends much of his time in the underworld." He grinned. "That's where you come in."

"You want me to track him down and kill him."

"Quite simply, yes."

"And what do I get?" Gideon chuckled.

"At any moment, I could call others into this office, claim you are attacking me, and have you vanquished. Frankly, Lytus, you get to live." The demon scowled.

"Fine."

"Oh and you can have his life power, if you succeed. He's quite powerful, actually; something I haven't gotten figured out." Lytus grinned at that.

"Excellent. Consider it done." And with a whisper, he was gone.

"Lytus?" Asked Sigmund.

"An electric demon. He electrocutes his victims and in doing so, can absorb their powers."

"Why did you tell Lytus that he was powerful?"

"Because he is." Gideon replied simply. "And that is something I can't understand. A simple whitelighter can't be that powerful. There's something else, something he's not telling anyone. But this way, we won't have to worry about it. Understand?"

"Yes, sir, but still...about Wyatt--"

"I'll hear no more about it. Don't make me do something I don't want to do Sigmund." The tone of his voice was threatening and Sigmund dropped the subject.

Chris orbed to the Manor later that night, looking for the sisters and Leo. He landed in front of Wyatt's room and peered in as he heard the baby's happy giggle. Leo sat in the middle of the floor, playing with the infant and while Chris grinned, he felt a sharp flutter in his chest. It wasn't jealousy; it was...hope, maybe. Before he could ponder the idea any farther, Leo turned and smiled as he saw him. Neither man, though, sensed the invisible entity hidden in the corner, watching the exchange and preparing to make his move.

"Chris! Hey, what's up bud?" Leo asked cheerfully, scooping Wyatt into his arms playfully. **_Bud_**, Chris thought. He chuckled and Leo gave him a questioning look. "What?"

"Bud. You just...I haven't heard it in years." He said softly. "You used to call both of us it, before you...yeah..." He trailed off, and Leo looked away for a moment.

"I am sorry I'm such a crappy dad, Chris. It'll be better...I swear." Chris sniffed as he began to feel uncomfortable; Leo saw it written plainly on his face and decided that it was time to switch the subject. "So. _Bud_." Chris grinned at his tone. "What's up?"

_Dad?_ Lytus stood in the corner, his hidden body motionless. _This could be an interesting development._

"Uh, nothing much. I just...I was hanging out at P3, and I...I dunno, I just. Bored, I guess." When Leo smiled slightly, Chris covered his hopeful tone with a clearing of his throat. "Maybe some extra work." Leo rose, picking Wyatt up with him and placing him in his crib before turning.

"You don't have to be embarrassed to want to hang out here Chris. We're family."

"I'm not embarrassed, I just---" Chris searched for an excuse, but found none. He really wanted to hang around his home, his mother and father and aunts, to be with them. "Lonely, I guess."

"No problem, but Phoebe and Paige are up at Magic School. Piper's downstairs; let me tell her you're here." Chris nodded and sat down to play with Wyatt as Leo exited the room, thumping down the stairs.

Chris walked to the crib, and waved his hand around Wyatt as the baby giggled and he thought to himself how weird it really was.

"And the little brother become the big brother...you know, it's kinda hard to be motivated to stop you from turning evil when you're blowing spit bubbles at me." The baby giggled in response and kicked his legs playfully.

_Little Brother!_ Lytus had to bite his tongue to keep from crying out. He let his mouth open only when he knew nothing would come out and fought to giggle at the prospect of this new information and the reward it may bring. Chris Perry was the son of Leo and Piper! Why hadn't Gideon told him?

_**Unless Gideon didn't know. **_

"Hey Chris, come down here! Piper made dinner and she wants you to join us."

Lytus waited for him to scoop up the infant and leave the room before vanishing himself. He knew exactly how to get Chris to stop his snooping. He would take what was dearest to him, and it was obvious what that was.

His family. And with Piper pregnant-with Chris none the less; he had to be the child!-she would be the perfect target.

"It was delicious, Piper." Chris nodded at her as he wiped his mouth, and she smiled from the head of the table.

"Well, thank you Chris. I'm glad you liked it."

"Well, thanks for inviting me. I know we haven't always gotten along---" She waved her hand to cut him off.

"Chris. Stop it. You're welcome here anytime." She talked to him in a no-nonsense kind of manner and he had to grin. Piper wasn't his mom, but she was a mother-his mother-and she was acting like it sometimes as well. However, their dinner was cut short as the baby began to fuss. Piper's attention immediately shifted and she moved to get him from his high chair. "I think it's a little past your bedtime."

"I agree." Leo said. "Here, I'll help you put him down."

"I'll start cleaning up," Chris offered. ", since you made us that fabulous dinner."

"Thank you Chris." Piper shifted the infant onto her hip and began to walk upstairs, Leo following close behind as he played with Wyatt from behind, trying to make him smile. Chris watched them go with a small smile on his face as he began to pick the dishes up from the table. He wanted them to be happy; a part of him wanted to be a family. The fact that banishing Leo hadn't totally demolished the love they had for each other made Chris breathe a sigh of relief.

However, it was only a few minutes into the dishes that a crash came from upstairs, followed by Wyatt's loud cry. Chris quickly dropped the dishes in the sink and orbed to the nursery, only to find a splintered crib on the floor, Leo laying there with Wyatt wrapped in his arms, and Piper no where to be found.

"Leo...what the hell happened!" Chris rushed in, crouching down beside his father and Leo merely stared back dumbfounded.

"I'm...not sure..."

"Leo, where's Piper!" Chris asked urgently. Leo stood, looking around the room, dazed and lost.

"I don't...I couldn't..."

"Leo!"

"A demon popped in...grabbed her and laughed, then took her." He looked around with wide eyes, realizing as he said the words that it had actually happened. "Oh god..."

"Leo, I need you to cool down. And I need you, to tell me, what he looked like."

"Like a demon. Dressed in black, looks human. Like a demon."

"Any idea what kind of demon? A Dark lighter?"

"No, no..." He began to slowly rise from the cribs splintered remains, a sobbing Wyatt in his arms. "I don't know...dammit!"

"Leo...he didn't say anything?"

"No, he just laughed. He just appeared and grabbed her, but not before sending me into the crib."

"How?"

"What do you mean how?"

"I mean, did he just throw you or did he use something?" Leo rubbed his head, wincing a little.

"You know...actually..." He rubbed at his shirt and let it slip up a little, revealing a minor burn across his midsection. Chris took Wyatt, trying to quiet him as Leo flinched, running his hand along the burn. Chris looked up into his face, bouncing the infant.

"I think that may be a pretty good clue." He orbed up to the attic, Leo close behind him, and immediately put Wyatt in his play pen before hurrying the book of shadows, which he began flipping through furiously.

"Fire demon?"

"But nothing's singed around here. And I think if he'd shot fire at you...well, I think you'd probably be in worse condition."

"Good point," Leo said nodding as he looked over his son's shoulder. "What else?" The pages stopped flipping and settled on a page with a man in a black trench coat, his eyes blazing.

"Electric demon." Chris sighed. "But we don't know where."

"Well, wherever he is with her, she's safe, we know that much."

"How?" Chris looked at him suddenly; fear creeping into his tone as he began to realize what was happening. "What if he's...?"

"You're still here, right?" Leo asked, grinning. Chris smiled back lightly.

"Yeah...I am."

"So she's good." Leo tapped him on the shoulder. "But, unfortunately, we don't know for how long."

"So, what now?" Chris asked, and Leo realized Chris was going to follow whatever he said, 100. He sighed, hands on his hips.

"So now...we scry."

In the underworld, Lytus paced on a cliff while Piper awoke groggily on the side of the rock. She was dazed at first until she remembered what happened at the Manor slammed her memory and her anger exploded.

"Hey! Hey jerk!" Lytus turned and shot her a look.

"You're up. Yay." He walked over to her, kicking pebbles as he walked. "I was a little afraid I might have knocked you out a little too much." His humor was dry and obnoxious and Piper didn't have the time for it.

"What do you want with me?" Piper tugged at her arms lightly, knowing it was no use. The ropes that attached her to the rock were not budging.

"What I want is for that kid to stop meddling around in our business." The demon in front of her was tossing rocks into the lava pit, letting his gaze wander around

"So why am I here, strapped to a rock!"

"I want you to tell him to cut it out. Or I'll make sure I stop it myself."

"For one, I don't know who you're talking about, and second, how can I just tell somebody to stop what is their business?"

"You **son**, is who I'm talking about. He's been meddling down here and my boss is getting edgy. Which makes me edgy, and you don't want me edgy." He was visually irritated and began to stalk over to Piper, and in that moment fear rose in her breast, because it was not only her that was risk, but the child inside of her as well.

"My son is only two. He can't do anything that would possibly bother you."

"Your other son you twit." He snapped. He looked at her confused glare and realized that she didn't know. He began to chuckle, then cackle and Piper thought to herself how movie like it all was. But as lava erupted behind him, hot enough to heat her face, the fear rose again, reminding her that it was definitely not a movie, but real life. And she was in real danger.

"Look, please. Just let me go. And I'll...I'll tell whoever you seem to think is my son, or whatever...I'll tell whoever you want to cut it out, okay?"

"You're different." He looked at her.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, I've dealt with you before. More aptly, my brother dealt with you. Before you vanquished him."

"So that's what this is? A vengeance thing?" She tugged at the straps. "And what do you mean different?"

"Oh no, not vengeance; I hated my brother. You did me a favor with that one. No, you're different though, Charmed One. You..." He chuckled. "You were feisty, mean. And here you are...begging me to not hurt you." He suddenly rushed at her and pressed at her abdomen, with slight force that made her gasp. "All because of this little bastard here."

"You get your hands off me, you--!"

"Ah, there you are!" He laughed again. "No, I'm not going to harm you, Charmed One. You're merely bait. For the son."

"I told you, my son---"

"You don't know; I didn't know you didn't know, and I hate to be the one to spoil the surprise."

"What surprise? What the hell are you talking about?"

"You'll see, Charmed One; in all due time, you'll see." And he dissolved in a puff of smoke, leaving Piper alone, strapped to a rock with no way to get out.

**_Leo!_** The scream ripped loudly so that both Chris and Leo could hear it resonating in their heads. They both looked intently at each other and orbed immediately, at the same time and ended up in a fiery pit with jutting rocks about. It was, the two men realized with sinking feelings, hellish.

"Oh god Leo, we can't...we have to find her." Leo looked at his son, whose eyes were wide as saucers with fear, his face pale.

"Chris, we will. She's okay, she's fine. We will find her, okay? Nothing will happen to her."

"I can't deal with that again, Leo." He began to breathe heavily and pace. "Because, I know she's not my **_mom_** mom, but she's my mother, you know? And I do love her...and..." Leo grabbed him by the shoulder, stopping his panicked steps.

"Your mother, Chris, will be okay. I promise you that."

"But how do you--"

"Chris. Look at me." He grabbed his adult son by the shoulders, forcing him to look into his eyes. "I love her. And she's pregnant with you. I won't let anything happen. To either of you, I promise."

In another area of the underworld, Lytus orbed to Gideon's underworld lair, interrupting him loudly as he knocked over a stack of books. Gideon turned on him angrily, ready to take his irritation out on him, when Lytus quickly threw his hands up.

"I have information you may find very helpful, Gideon. I wouldn't hurt me if I were you."

"Well, of course you wouldn't, you're the object of my--"

"Your white lighter is Piper and Leo's son." Lytus cut off, leaving Gideon slack jawed. He knew Piper was pregnant; everyone did. But this! He couldn't have heard that right. Lytus merely nodded at his confused stare. After letting it sink in, Gideon smiled sinisterly.

"Well that, Lytus, may be something I can use."


	4. Chapter 4

Oh dear lord, an update…first off, I'd like to say how sorry it's been so, so, SO long. Florida, Disney slave worker, writers block, etc, etc. But I'll try and keep it up.

I like sick Chris, so I decided to be unoriginal and incorporate him into this story. Enjoy! Hope you enjoy…but I warn, it may be awhile 'til the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. WB does. And they're awesome.

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"Barbas!" Gideon's voice echoed in the canyon of the underworld. The demon of fear appeared, his face bored and mildly irritated.

"Yes?"

"I have a task for you, one that you will enjoy greatly."

In the underworld, Leo and Chris were orbing to the source of Piper's cries and took in the sight of her body strapped to the rock. Chris's legs went weak with relief, and he and Leo exchanged an identical look of reassurance. They kind of smiled as they realized both were trying to calm the other.

"Hello!" Piper's irritated voice cut through the air and shook the two from their silent conversation.

"Piper." Chris and Leo simultaneously breathed her name as Leo rushed toward her. He quickly unstrapped her and she rubbed her wrists, shooting irritated looks at the both of them.

"What the hell took so long!" Leo shot her an incredulous look and Chris walked over to her to help her climb lower from the rock.

"We were trying to figure out who took you!" Chris looked at Leo for some help, to calm her down because she was visibly shaken, as one would expect. Leo nodded, and moved over, grabbing her other arm.

"Piper," Leo began. "Let's just go home, get you something to eat or something."

"I just had dinner, Leo, I don't need anything." She snapped. He started, wounded by the irritated tone of her voice and she softened. "Well, maybe some ice cream."

"I'm gonna get going, then. Get some rest, maybe research some more, try and figure out who nabbed you."

"You're not staying for dessert?" She asked. He stopped and turned, his face quizzical.

"Do you want me to stay for dessert?"

"Would I have asked you to if I didn't?" She asked back, mildly irritated.

"I guess I can put it off a little bit, but we need to know who it was."

"Well, he said some stuff. I think that whoever is trying to turn Wyatt sent him after me; I just don't know why."

"See, Chris, that's why you need to stay. To help figure it out." Leo pressed. Chris fought to roll his eyes as he walked back into the kitchen and toward the freezer.

"I said I'd stay. But let's get started. If he really is working for who's after Wyatt, this could be the break I was looking for."

------------------

Barbas appeared in the manor's entry, a grin on his face. He could hear three separate voices in the kitchen, joking and laughing, surprisingly enough, with random key demon references interjected in between.

"...see, this is good for you Chris. You seem almost human." Piper spoke, licking the last of the ice cream off the spoon and tossing it into the bowl. Leo and he exchanged a sideways glance and Chris looked down quickly, clearing his throat.

"Oh, thanks."

"Well, come on, I didn't mean it like that."

"I know, I know." He looked up and half grinned at her. It was moment of calm; they were relaxed and Chris kind of chuckled, his spoon half in his mouth when...

"Hello? Anyone home?" An unwelcome familiar voice sliced the air and popped the calm like a knife. They rose quickly and walked warily to the entrance of the home, and there stood someone hated by all in the home.

"Barbas."

"Hello, hello all. No, please, don't welcome me into your home." Piper glared at him, before snapping.

"Get out." He stared back at her and began to laugh.

"You calm down, witch. I'm not here for you, or your son." He laughed after that, the kind of laugh that meant he was laughing at something she didn't know, and she cocked her eyebrow.

"Get out. Of my home."

"Ooh, anger. That's good. Anger...partner's fear." He grinned and turned his sights on Chris. "Isn't that right, whitelighter?"

"Thanks, Yoda. And I think you should listen to her. All those hormones, she might just blow you up."

"Oh I'm not here for any of them, I'm here for you." Chris looked at him warily and exchanged a quick glance with Leo. It soon hit him though what was going on, and he hung back.

"Oh yes...the things you fear the most will come true. You will fail. And she, will die. Again. And everything you've worked so hard for will be for nothing." Leo watched as Chris' eyes grew as wide as saucers and he began to back up slowly as he stared at a spot in the dining room, and Leo knew what he was seeing.

"Chris, it's not happening...don't listen to him."

"Leo, what's going on?" Piper asked, but Leo ignored her. Chris was sinking back into the corner now, sliding down the wall into a crouched position as he began shaking his head vigorously, muttering to himself.

"Chris, don't listen to him." Leo walked to him, pressure spreading through his chest at the sight of his son crouched on the ground, his arms slung over his neck as he hung his head mumbling to himself as Barbas spoke to him. He put his hand on his head. "Come on, bud, she's okay." He whispered.

"I know, I know, it's just," Chris pulled his hands in front of him, and lifted his head, eyes shimmering with tears. "I can see her, in the corner...and there's blood on my hands..." He finished hoarsely, and lowered his head again as Leo began to murmur to him softly, trying to calm him down. Chris knew it wasn't true, Leo knew that; but the merely reality of the memory and the threat that something could happen to Piper had scared him beyond sanity.

"If you don't leave, Barbas, I'm gonna do what I should've done years ago..." Piper spoke, her voice cutting and primal angry. Being the coward he was, he recognized the threat as a genuine one and took that time to merely laugh.

"Oh, but he knows it's true...he knows it will happen." He vanished quietly from the living room and Piper stared at the spot angrily for a moment before walking to the corner where Chris sat.

"Chris?" But the young man merely shook his head. She looked at Leo worriedly. "Leo what's going on?"

"Look, I think I just need to get him to bed. And we need to figure out who enlisted Barbas to do this."

"Do what, Leo? Who is he seeing?" Leo looked at her and she knew he'd tell her something later, but for now, he bent and moved to pick up Chris.

"I'll be back; I'm just gonna orb him up to the extra bedroom." She nodded in consent and the two men dissolved into blue orbs. When they arrived, Leo was standing, cradling Chris as if he was a child, but he quickly rested him on the bed.

"Mom..." He breathed. Sweat began to lightly coat his forehead and he coughed, and Leo lowered his hand to his forehead. He pulled back as he realized it was hot and suddenly recognized that under the stress and tension of the environment, Chris had not only suffered emotionally today, but it was physically taking a toll on him.

"She's okay, Chris. It was just Barbas." Leo murmured as he awkwardly moved the young man around, taking off his shoes as he moved the covers over him.

"Leo..."

"Hey, I'm gonna go downstairs okay? I need to explain what's going on to your mom..."

"Noooo...Leo, don't tell..."

"No, don't worry, I won't. But we need her help, okay? Chris, you're sick. And I don't think it's magical. We'll get you some medicine and stuff..."

"Leo, I'm hot."

"I know, bud, I know. But we'll take care of you, no worries."

"But you..." He began to object, then settled and smiled as he coughed again before speaking. "Bud." Leo could only smile.

"Yes. Bud." He ruffled his hair, then walked out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen, where Piper sat, her face quizzical.

"What is going on around here, Leo? I want answers. Now."

"Nothing is going on, Piper. Look," He took a deep breath. "Barbas just got to him, okay? Made him see things...look, he's upstairs, lying down, I think he's pretty sick. I'm gonna take him some medicine."

"What happened between you two? These past couple of months...there's something between you two, something you're not telling us."

"Look, Piper, there is. But I can't tell you. He...he trusts me." Leo spoke softly, the last part stated with a sort of affectionate tone.

"Whatever. You said he's sick?"

"I think so." He looked up the stairs, his face a little worried and she grew even more perplexed. How could Leo be so bonded with Chris, so concerned?

"Well, let me." He looked up at her, a confused expression on his face.

"What?"

"Oh, come on Leo," She smirked at him. "How long has it been since you've played nurse?"

"Oh, and you have?"

"I'm a mother, Leo; I take care of my sisters, too." She grabbed the medicine he had retrieved and smiled. "I'm just gonna check on him."

"Piper, I don't..."

"Look, we're close in the future, right? Friends with his mother, babysitter and all? He needs something familiar."

"Piper..."

"Here, you need some time with Wyatt; call Paige and have her bring him down, take him to the park or something."

She wasn't relenting, and he could tell. Her face was fixed into a bright smile, and she was rounding off every excuse he was coming up with. He sighed.

"Fine. I'll go to Magic school though, get Wyatt, check on things. But Piper...don't push him."

"Me?" She smiled sweetly. "Leo, I don't know what you're getting at."

"I think you do. Just...be kind to him." She softened a bit and relaxed.

"Leo, I don't despise the kid. He irritates me sometimes, but I don't hate him. He's grown on me actually a little."

Leo orbed out, but not without letting her see his apprehensive face. She made her way up the stairs, trying to figure out what there was between the two men but could come up with nothing.

She entered the room Chris was in and went over to the young man on the bed. He was sprawled there, his mouth wide open, legs askew with one half-hanging off the bed. She wiped her hand over his head, brushing the stray brown hair from his eyes. He was warm, as Leo had mentioned, but nothing to be alarmed over. If anything, the young man in front of her merely need some good rest.

"Hmmm..." He slightly moaned in his sleep, adjusting his position as he finished with a sigh. She smiled; he reminded her of Leo, who did the same. He would lay there a little, moan and roll over, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer in his sleep. She smiled as she closed her eyes, feeling his arms around, breathing the scent of him in.

"Piper? What..." He whispered, stirring in his sleep and pulling her from her thoughts, leaving her with flushed cheeks. She was embarrassed, but shook it away. Chris couldn't read her mind.

"Hey. Leo said you weren't feeling very well, figured I'd come up and give you some medicine.

He eyed her tiredly, then nodded as he began to pull himself to a seated position. "Thanks."

"He said you had a hard time today." She handed him the water and medicine, which he looked at with slight disgust. "What?"

"Nyquil? Uh, Piper...we're witches...something tells me something could be whipped up..."

"By Paige. But until she gets back, Nyquil will do you fine." She chided. He Shrugged and tossed the pills into his mouth and took a swig as he swallowed, then wiped his sleeve across his mouth and handed the glass back. She had to smile at him.

"What?"

"You just...I don't know why, but it's funny."

"I amuse you?"

"Right now, yes." She chuckled. "Now, lie down, get some rest." She lifted the covers slightly to help him slide under further, and he laid his head down. He felt slightly wrong, allowing himself to be pampered like this. He should be at his apartment, researching. He should be trying to find out why Barbas came after him-more importantly, who had sent Barbas after him, because something told him he had something to do with Barbas.

"Thanks, Piper." He blinked and yawned and looked up at her face. It was unusually soft for him; her eyes usually held a suspicious glare, and her face was usually clouded with apprehension; now, it was concerned and almost caring. Like a knife in his chest, he felt pain as he had earlier in the day, so much that he had to shift his body and look away.

"Chris?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"Chris, what did he make you see?"

He turned his head toward her, eyeing her. For a split second, he wanted to tell her, wanted to cry to her, wanted her to smooth his hair and tell him it was okay. But she was not her, she was not the mother he knew, and she wouldn't be for 14 years...so he looked away.

"My mother. When she died. I don't want to talk about it."

Piper stayed silent for a moment. She knew how it was, to lose a mother, especially at that point in life, when he would have needed her so. So she nodded, patted his shoulder and put the glass down on the side table, making a move to rise.

"Well, if you ever do need to talk Chris...I know, I haven't always been the nicest, or understanding. But you're here for Wyatt; and if we are close friends in the future...I'm here, if you ever need to talk. And I'm a good listener."

He was squeezing his eyes shut, breathing deeply, waiting for her to leave, but he couldn't just be silent and let her walk away without the thank you he wanted to give her; she didn't raise him that way.

He rolled over as she walked to the door. "Piper?"

"Yeah?" She turned at the doorway, resting one hand on it, one on her barely there baby bump. He smiled.

"Thanks. I don't mean to be rude...just, thanks."

She smiled and opened her mouth to speak, when she felt something deep inside of her. She was looking at his eyes, green orbs staring at her own, a slight happiness covering so much sorrow, and she felt it again. Quickening. The baby, she thought.

She suddenly had flashes; not premonitions, but small memories, a conversation with Leo she had had.

_"He lost his mother, Piper, when he was a teenager..."_

_"You're growing closer to him..." Leo shrugged in reply._

_"Happens."_

The demon in the underworld was next, from earlier that day.

_"What I want, is for that kid to stop meddling around in our business..." _

_"For one, I don't know who you're talking about..."_

_"You son, is who I'm talking about..."_

_"My son is only two. He can't do anything that would possibly bother you."_

_"Your other son you twit."_

_"**You don't know**..."_

"Piper?" She was jolted out of her state, and her other hand went to her abdomen. She remembered feeling Wyatt when he first moved early in the pregnancy. And now, Chris looked at her with sad eyes and her mind reeled. **_Oh, god._**

He was starting to push himself up, scared by the look on her face. She had paled suddenly and she looked like she was going to faint. He prepared to jump from the bed, to catch her when she fell. "Piper!"

"Chris..." She whispered. She had to compose herself; she couldn't let him know she knew. Not now, not at this moment. _But_ **_oh god..._**

_"Chris, what did he make you see?"_

_"My mother...her death. I don't want to talk about it." _

"Chris, you need to get back in bed. I'm fine...just...just a little morning sickness."

"It's almost 6 at night."

"Yeah, well, it comes whenever it pleases. Just get into bed." He eyed her warily, but did as he was told.

"Call Leo; make sure everything is okay. Just...be careful." He advised gently, and she smiled tightly.

"Chris, don't worry. I'm fine. I just gotta go throw up..." She chuckled a little bit, but made sure he was lying down. "You call me, if you need anything."

"Okay. Thanks Piper. Night."

"Night, Chris."

She made sure she closed the door behind her, playing calm as she could, but tears sprang to her eyes. Oh, **_god_**.

Somehow, she ended up in the living room, where she stood in the kitchen, pouring a glass of water as she tried to process it all. She knew it, as she could feel the child move inside her again. _Oh, Chris. Oh Chris..._

"Leo! You had better get your ass in here right now!"

He orbed in within seconds, Wyatt in tow and he immediately knew something was up as he saw her, visibly shaken as she downed the glass of water. "Let me put Wyatt in his crib."

"Yeah, you go do that." Her voice was sharp, angry and he did what he was told as his stomach sunk. She knew. He knew she knew. Somehow...had Chris told? Or had Piper pushed, used his sickness and somewhat dazed mood to get information out of him? The idea that she would trick him irritated Leo greatly and he orbed back, prepared for a yelling match.

SMACK!

Leo reeled. Piper was a pacifist; the only time she fought was to defend her family or to vanquish a demon, and she had just slapped him. Hard!

"What the hell, Piper---"

"You knew! This entire time, you've known! Since the memories...that's what you saw! You saw me, die! You saw him, you saw everything, and you didn't tell me!" She spun on her heel and stalked into the kitchen, her back ridged, and Leo followed, his temper and a surprising protectiveness spawning inside of him.

"So you did trick him? How'd you get it out of him Piper? You must have been masterful, because I've been trying to get him to tell you for weeks and he hasn't budged. Huh? Did ya play the 'I care for you, oh let me help you' card? Thought maybe you could get something good?"

She stopped from her retreat and when she turned, Leo softened to see the tears streaming down her face.

"You really think I'm that cruel, don't you? You think I'd try and get something like that out of him, after I knew it was that hard for him. Well, Leo, I did nothing of the kind. I didn't," Her voice caught. "I felt him, Leo. In here. Felt him move inside of me." She crossed her arms in front of her. "The demon in the underworld...he said something to me and I remembered that and there were other things and...I felt him." Her voice was breaking and she just stood there, crying. "Oh god..."

"The baby moved?"

"Chris, moved. And when he looked into my eyes, I felt him inside of me. I realized it, but...Leo, he's our son." Her voice was breaking as she stared at her ex-husband, trying to figure out what was happening.

Leo walked to her and she moved to him as he opened his arms. "I know it's hard to understand...it was hard for me too."

"You should have told me," She whispered, walking into his embrace. "One of you should have told me."

"I know. But...he didn't want to, and I had to respect that..."

"One of you should have told me."

"Told you what?" Paige's voice interrupted the meeting, and Piper and Leo looked up to see the two sisters staring at them, their eyes wide with curiosity.

"What's going on?" Phoebe asked. Piper looked at Leo as she bit her lip, then turned back to her sisters.

"Chris is..." Piper caught herself as Leo nudged her back. "is sick." Phoebe eyed her sister, because she knew her all too well. Something was up, but she had no idea. But if Chris was sick, then he was.

"That sucks. Magical?"

"I don't think so," Leo began. "He just, kind of runs himself ragged trying to figure out who's turning Wyatt. I think all he's suffering from is a little burnout." Paige nodded, walking into the kitchen.

"Sounds about right. We all get it sometimes. So...potion, right?"

"If you wouldn't mind." Piper muttered.

"I...have to go to the store. I'll be back later, Piper." Leo grabbed her hand and squeezed before orbing out, leaving her alone with her sisters.

"There's something else, isn't there?" Phoebe asked. Piper looked at her, her eyes bright as she forced a smile.

"No, it's...it's fine. Everything's good. I think I'm gonna go up and make sure he's okay."

"I'm sure he's fine, Piper. Weren't you just up there?"

"He's sick, Phoebe. And aren't we supposed to be close to him in the future? Could it hurt to treat him with a little bit of kindness?" Her face had taken on a defensive, as well as determined. Phoebe could tell something was going on, yet she wasn't going to find out then.

"Fine, whatever." She snatched at her purse. "I'm going to the office...I'm gonna go answer some letters or something."

"Phoebe." Her voice was an exhausted one, and Phoebe stopped at the door.

"What?" She turned, and Piper's face was strained. "Piper, just tell me what is really going on."

She wanted to. She wanted to sit down with Phoebe and talk through this all. But she couldn't. She would feel awful about letting Chris' secret out before he knew that she knew about it.

"Not just yet. But, I swear, you will be the first I talk to about it." Phoebe just shook her head.

"Fine. Okay." she smiled to reassure her sister before she spoke again. "I do have to go though."

"I know. I'll see you tonight, k?"

"Mmhmm." Phoebe shifted her purse to her shoulder and with a quick smile was out the door, leaving Piper again alone with her thoughts. She could hear Paige riffling through the kitchen and looked toward the stairs.

"Paige?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna go check on him again. Are you figuring out something?"

"Of course." She appeared at the opening to the kitchen. "It's gonna take about an hour though. I need some herbs, so I'm gonna go get it. But I'll let you know when I'm done."

"So I'm stuck here with him by myself?" Piper asked cautiously.

"He's sick, Piper. He's not gonna bite."

"I know." Paige could see the uneasiness on her face and chalked it up to the fact that Piper and Chris didn't really get along, no way knowing what the truth really was and that Piper's biggest fear is that Chris would awaken and she would spill the secret. Even though she needed to.

Paige orbed out, and Piper was left alone as she stared at the stairs. Slowly, she began to climb them. She got to the bedroom door, cracked so she could glance inside and he was laying in the bed, his lips moving slightly as he lightly tossed and turned. She opened the door and walked to his side, sitting softly on the side. His murmuring was inaudible, but he was experiencing some angst. She slid her hand into his, and began to rub his hand. His forehead was creased in anguish, his head turning and twisting and she knew it had to be about the murder. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall, drifting to sleep and not noticing how Chris had calmed, his restlessness dissipating with each swipe of her thumb.

"Piper?" She didn't know how long she'd been out; it couldn't have been long though. Paige, nor Leo, was back yet, and it didn't seem like that long at all. She looked down at his whisper though and peered into his eyes; Leo's eyes.

"Hey, Chris. How are you feeling?"

"Better." He tried to push himself up and noticed her hand in his. He glanced at her suspiciously and she met his gaze for a moment before looking away.

"That's good." She pulled her hand away and quickly rose up. "Paige ran out to get some stuff for a potion. But you do need to rest."

"And have you rested?" His tone was warm and concerned as he sat up. She glanced back in time to see his eyes go wide and put a hand to his head.

"Don't you worry about me," She lightly scolded, "You are the one who is sick. You need the rest. I'm just pregnant. It's normal for the baby---" The words caught in her throat when she got the baby, being as he was staring right her, his eyes wide and encouraging.

"Piper?"

"I can't...I can't do this. Chris, you should've told me."

He looked into her face, her eyes filling with tears and he felt a surge of anger.

"Leo." He growled, forcing himself up and ready to orb when Piper put her hand on his chest.

"No! No, not Leo." She said. "You...you..." She trailed off, her hand going to her abdomen and she sighed. "You." was all she could muster.

He didn't know what she meant, nor what to do. He had a fight or flight moment, and he made a snap decision. Before Piper could stop him, his body turned into a mass of blue, swirling orbs, then dissipating as he left her confused and alone, wondering why everything seemed to be going wrong with her life.


	5. Chapter 5

Oh My GOD, has it been a long time! I didn't realize how long, but I am sorry! The mouse is a slave driver! Not as bad for me as other friends, but dayum:D

Anyway...here's some more. Hope you enjoy. Consider it a Christmas present...I really like this story though, and will possibly be putting more effort into it as time goes on, especially when I get home and I'm done with Disney. Anyway, here ya go. Merry Christmas! (And please review!) :D

Disclaimer: I don't own charmed, or any of the characters. There. I said it. Again.

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"Well, that didn't go very well." Piper muttered, staring at the bed, the wrinkled sheets all that was left of the man who was her son. She heard another person enter, and stop right behind her.

"Piper?"

"Yeah, Pheobe?"

"What's going on? Where's Chris?"

"He..." She sighed, not knowing exactly what to tell her sister. "We better call Paige. I have something to tell you guys."

----

"So...he's our nephew!" Piper's sister's gaped at her with the same disbelieving feeling written on their faces.

"I know, it sounds crazy..." She started to defend him, but Phoebe cut her off.

"No, it sounds impossible! Piper, wouldn't he have just told us when he first got here? How do you know he isn't just trying to get something out of you? To get to Wyatt?"

"I felt him, Phoebe." Her tone was sharp and irritated.

"Piper," Paige began this time, her tone less accusatory and angry. "It was probably just a coincidence. Come on, do you really think he's your son?"

"All you have to do is look at him, Paige, and you see us in him." A male voice cut into the conversation and they turned to find Leo standing in the doorway. His face was twisted in a scowl, mixed with his discontent for the sisters at the moment and his worry for Chris. "I saw his memories, Phoebe. I saw what he went through, I felt what he went through and I know, okay? He's my son."

"Leo..." He cut her off by striding into the room, cutting into the circle the sister's had formed in their argument.

"No. I didn't tell anyone because it wasn't my place to tell anyone. It was Chris' decision, and for his own reasons, he didn't want you to know." He turned to Piper. "But now I need to know. What happened?"

"I..." Her eyes filled with tears and she looked upward, and in a small voice, replied. "I didn't mean to."

"Oh, you told him..." It was said with an anguished sigh, which didn't make Piper feel any better. She burst into tears, and her sister's moved in to comfort. "No! Piper, it's okay, he needed to know but...I need to know where he is."

"I don't know, Leo! He seemed pretty angry, and he just orbed. I don't know where, but now, he's out there, mad and sick! Goddammit..." She turned abruptly and stomped her foot, taking a deep breath to calm down. Leo put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I know where he went Piper. I'll go talk to him."

------

He breathed in the salty scent of the water, closing his eyes as the wind kicked up and blew his hair in an organized mess around his head. There was nothing around him, only the sound of a faraway jet plane overhead interrupting his thoughts. He had been there for a few hours and no one had bothered him, which was what he wanted. He needed time to think, to be alone. She wasn't supposed to know; it would only make things worse because now his aunts would find out and it would be different. They would treat him differently, and as much as the vehement dislike stung, he preferred it to any sort of affection that would make it harder when he had to leave.

He was so calmed down, so zoned out that he didn't even feel the ripple move through the air, even sense someone else there with him until a minute or so after Leo had appeared. He didn't even turn, but the rigid posture his body took on was signal enough to Leo that he knew he was there.

"It wasn't me, Chris." His voice was stern and truthful, and Chris knew it was true before he said it. He closed his eyes and exhaled loudly. "Come on, Chris, I told you--"

"I know it wasn't you, Leo. I know it was something else...but it doesn't matter." He lifted himself up with his last words and walked to the corner of the bridge, looking down and Leo felt the urge to go a grab him from getting too close to the edge. Chris, somehow, had to have known this because he turned and shot Leo an impish grin. "I'm not gonna jump."

Leo stuffed his hands in his pockets bashfully. "I know."

"Not that it would do anything, anyway." He leaned against the steel pole and the silence was as great as the bay below them for many minutes, until Chris spoke again. "You know, I was so little when you first brought me up here, but I remember it so clearly."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," He offered a half-smile. "It's like, my first memory, one of the only good ones of...us..." He drifted off, and then shook his head. "It doesn't matter now."

"Yes, it does Chris." Leo strolled over slowly and leaned against the pole next to him, hands still in pockets. "Tell me about it."

"It'll be different then, though, if I tell you. For later, I mean. It would change it, kind of." Chris was looking away, kicking at something on the bridge and Leo faced him squarely.

"If I can help it, a lot of things will be different, Christopher." He used his full name and his voice was soft, causing a snap reaction from Chris, who breathed in sharply.

"It was my 4th birthday, and you told me you had something special to show me. I hadn't ever gotten to do anything special with you." He looked back out over the bay. "I was so excited and, you brought me up here, even though Wyatt was pouting and we sat up here while you told me stories...fairy tales, about mystical creatures and asked me how I was, and talked to me. Really talked. I don't know what provoked you to do it, but it's my first memory Leo. One of my favorites." He looked up, meeting his father's eyes and both were startled to see the emotion each held. "Please don't change it too much." He whispered.

Leo looked him straight in the face, and after a few moments of just staring, began to chuckle. Chris cracked a smile and Leo lightly cupped the back of his head.

"No problem, kid. No problem at all." He moved his hand to Chris' back. "Do you want to go home?"

"Not just yet..." Chris sighed. Leo's forehead crinkled; Chris was still pretty warm and probably needed to be in bed, with some medicine in him, but he didn't want to push. So he sat first, letting his legs hang over the edge and just stared up at the young man. Chris smiled back and eased himself back down and they sat, staring over the water.

"So tell me more about your life...some of the not so depressing, horrible dad stuff." Chris was silent for a few moments and Leo wondered if he was out on the limb with no hope of a reaction. It surprised him when Chris opened his mouth and began to speak. And it surprised Chris when Leo, for once, just listened.

Later that night, Leo orbed back into the Manor, Chris again in his arms. He knew it may be irrational to feel so overprotective and to carry him around may be patronizing, but Chris was exhausted. Piper, asleep on the sofa, started suddenly and awoke as Leo laid the boy on the couch.

"Is he okay?" She whispered. He nodded.

"Just exhausted...and a little warm. He just needs some uninterrupted rest."

"Paige!" Piper turned, yelling up the stairs, causing Chris to awaken. She turned to find Leo staring at her with a pointed look on his face. She grinned. "Sorry...I didn't think."

"Yeah, well." But Leo smiled as he turned to his son, who had propped himself up on his elbow.

"What is going on?" He asked tiredly. He avoided Piper's gaze, and within a few moments, his aunt's.

"We need to get you upstairs, to the guest room. You need your rest."

"Mmmk. I'll just---" He gestured in the direction of the stairs as he rose slowly and walked tiredly up them, leaving his family to stare after him. Piper looked at Leo, her face sad.

"He's mad at me."

"No, no he's not." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "He's mad at himself, and he's scared, Piper, he's so scared. He's just too proud to show it."

-------

Chris twitched in his sleep as his head lolled back and forth on the pillow. He moaned softly, for in his dream he was living a nightmare.

It was as normally it was. But it was two split scenes he had to watch; his mother on his left, lying in a pool of blood, her dead eyes staring into his and on his right, Bianca. Oh, Bianca.

But it was horrible because Wyatt, who stood looming over Bianca, turned and glared at his brother, a dark smile playing on his face.

_"It won't work Chris. You can't pull it off. And they don't even want you there; they could care less about you...they don't even trust you, believe in you and they know who you are. And this,"_ Wyatt waved his arms in the air as he walked closer to his brother, who felt glued in his stance. _"You can't stop this because there is nothing to stop. This is how it's meant to be, how it will be...and they'll die; both of them, just like they are now, because of your useless, pathetic attempts..."_

"Chris? Chris!" He was shaken from his nightmare by strong, feminine hands and he opened his eyes to see Paige staring back at him, uncertainty on his face.

"Paige? What the---" He had forgotten momentarily where he was, and what had taken place earlier. In the seconds it took to remember, his eyes found the comforter and he started tracing the pattern. "What's going on?"

"You were...moaning. Tossing and stuff, so I thought...I just wanted to make sure you were okay. And give you this." She pulled out a vial filled with a reddish liquid and handed it to him. "It'll help you rest."

He took it from her with a murmur of thanks and swigged it quickly, giving it back to her as he laid back. He looked at her skeptically, seeing her face concerned and nervous and he knew she knew. "She told you." She smiled back at him calmly and patted his leg.

"I think you really need to rest, and we'll talk about it later." She rose and walked toward the door as he scooted under the covers, turning on his side, his back facing her. As she reached the door, she turned to him as Piper had earlier. "I'm sorry, Chris. For everything."

Chris just stayed still as she left, as he heard her walk down the stairs and he closed his eyes. He knew it was going to be a lot of this; sympathies and apologies, caring, loving gestures. But he couldn't give in; they weren't his aunt's, his mother, his father. Not yet, they weren't.

-----

"Well done Barbas. So he's out of my way..."

"Only briefly. So do what you must." He waved his hand in the air with a flippant gesture. "May I go?"

"Please." Gideon deadpanned. He turned to Sigmund as Barbas burned out of the room. "Now the path is clear; we need to get to Wyatt."

"Sir, really. He's just an infant."

"You question me?" He flared. "Sigmund, what did I say?"

"Sir---"

"Never mind!" He flicked his hand, sending the poor man into the wall, which knocked him unconscious and sent him sliding to the floor. "They have always said; if you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself." With that, he orbed from the room.

Meanwhile, in the Manor, Chris awoke briefly from his deep sleep with a very insistent need to use the bathroom. Too tired and lazy to get up and walked, he orbed to the one closest to the room he was in; coincidently, closest to the nursery as well.

He did his business and began to groggily walk from the room when he heard a shuffling in the nursery. Something wasn't right; even though it could have been Leo or Piper, it wasn't. He walked over and pushed open the door.

Gideon stood above crib holding Wyatt's favorite bear, Wyatt staring up into his face with a startled, glazed over look. At the sound of the door opening, Gideon turned, dropping the child's toy on the ground.

"Chris!" His face was shocked for only a split second, a guilty look passing in less than a moment. But Chris was from a time when a split second reaction told everything. His mind began to question Gideon.

"Hey Gideon. What are you doing here?" He leaned against the doorway, feeling a little swoon from his medicine. However, he really wanted to know what Gideon was up to.

"I was saying hello to Wyatt, before coming to check and see how you were." He was relaxed now, his composure secure. "Leo told me about Barbas."

Chris's face clouded over and he turned standoffish. Of course Leo would've told Gideon; he was his mentor. "Oh, well...yeah. Just a little under the weather."

"Oh well, take no offense, but you look it." Gideon chuckled.

"Thanks." Chris snapped dryly.

"No offense," Gideon reminded. "Perhaps I should go now, let you and Wyatt," His eyes went to the infant, and the look held a sort of contempt. "Rest. Goodnight Chris."

"Night Gideon. And thanks, for the concern." Gideon merely nodded.

"I'll see you later, Chris." He faded from the room and Chris walked to the crib, his eyes on the bear on the floor. He bent and picked it up, placing it next to the baby.

"Aw, Wy. You're shaking." He picked him up and held him for a few moments as seeds of doubt grew in his mind. _Why was Gideon alone in the nursery, looking so...not friendly?_ Unfortunately, the medicine was kicking back in and he was getting very drowsy. Although he could no longer ponder what Gideon was doing there, Wyatt had relaxed. He began to put the infant back into crib when he stirred and made a slight whimper.

"Sorry, bud, I gotta go to bed. Aunt Paige gave me something fierce." He patted him on the head as he chuckled. "Someday, you'll understand."

He made his way to the guest room and collapsed onto the bed. _What did Gideon want?_ However, soon thoughts abandoned him as he closed his eyes and let sleep claim him once more.

------

Birds chirped outside the window as sun shone through the blinds. The door to the guest room creaked open and Piper stepped quietly inside.

She had checked on Chris when she had gone to bed the night before and he had been asleep. More than likely, he was on his 15th, 16th hour of sleep. She sighed. He needed to get up.

"Chris?" She walked to the bed and sat down on it. She felt awkward, out of place. But he needed to get up, to eat. "Chris, I cooked some lunch for all of us. You need to eat something." She shook him softly and his eyelids flickered opened.

"Mom?" He whispered through squinted eyes. Piper's mouth dropped open and she jumped up, shocked. But Chris didn't follow it; he rolled over and smacked his lips. "5 more minutes..."

She sighed with relief. He hadn't consciously called her '_mom_'. She didn't know why that would've scared her, but it did. She shrugged it off and moved again to the bed.

"Seriously, Chris. You gotta get up. Food."

This time his eyes did open. He didn't seem to know this was the second time he had responded to her, and he yawned, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Hey, Piper." He wiped his eyes and averted them quickly. "What about food?"

"You've slept a long time, you need to eat." She said, rising from the bed. "And I think we need to talk."

His face hardened at the suggestion. "I don't think we do."

"We'll discuss it later. Food first, then confrontation." She was trying to joke, but neither chuckled. Instead, she uncomfortably walked toward the door. "So, I'll see ya soon?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be right down." He waited until the door had closed behind her and then swung his legs over the side of the bed. **_Mom!_** He had to have said it.

_Damn it!_ He hadn't meant to, of course, but luckily he was able to play it off. He hated to admit it though, but he had to; he was getting attached. He was terribly afraid of how close he had come to calling Leo '_Dad_' the night before; he was so much closer than he ever would've expected, so there wasn't as great of a defense there as there should've been. Instead, they had become friends. Confidants, even.

He quickly got up and exited the room. Physically, he felt a zillion times better than he had the day before. He was refreshed, recharged and ready to go. Ready to analyze the first thing on his mind.

Gideon.

-----

"Hey Chris!" Leo was excited, much more excited than he had felt in awhile. Relief spread throughout his body as he saw his son up and walking, without that exhausted, life-just-kicked-the-crap-outta-me look on his face. Chris half-smiled at him and made his way silently to the dining table, sitting and sat in between Paige and Leo, who cuffed him affectionately on the shoulder.

"Morning." He felt scrutinized, and hated it. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Afternoon, actually." Phoebe joked. "It's like 3."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to--"

"You needed it." Leo cut him off. "You're feeling better, right?"

"Yeah, much." He said. He helped himself to one of the sandwiches in front of him, and licked his fingers, trying to relax. However, he was painfully aware of their scrutiny and that his efforts weren't working. He settled back. "Okay, this is weird."

"Chris--" Leo began.

"No, no it's definitely weird." He ran his hands through his hair. "Hm. Well."

"Chris, please don't leave." Piper asked.

"Piper, you never have lunch like this; normally we just come and go, eat as we please. I don't want this to happen, okay? It's why I didn't tell you! I don't need you doing this; it'll only make it worse."

"Doing what? Making what worse?" Piper rose as he did, as he spun to leave, but Leo stopped him instead with a simple hand on his son's wrist.

"Chris, come on. We talked about this." He whispered. Chris turned his head at his father, and then nodded.

"Yeah...yeah, okay." He turned again and sat, a little closer in proximity to Leo. Piper and Leo exchanged a brief glance, and then began eating again.

Conversation began up again, simply with the sisters talking, Chris answering question with one or two words and Leo tried to give him supportive nudges, looks anything. Chris wished he would stop; he could see his father in Leo, because Leo had become his father. He cared for him, really cared as a father would, and Chris felt safe with him, as a child does with a parent. And that scared him.

"...need to go see Gideon about that," Piper said, and the name brought Chris back to earth.

"Who needs to see Gideon about what?" He asked.

"About everything that's happened in the past few days, Chris. He could help."

"But you guys just talked to him yesterday."

"What are you talking about, Chris?" Leo looked at him quizzically and Chris began to get irritated.

"He was here, in the Manor, in the nursery, last night. I got up, to go to the bathroom, and I stopped by Wyatt's room on the way back to mine. He asked how I was after Barbas earlier in the day, said you had gone to Magic school to visit him." Leo gave Chris a strange look.

"I think you probably dreamed that, Chris..." Paige began, but Chris whirled on her quickly.

"I didn't! He was there! He had Wyatt's bear, he dropped it, he scared him..." His wide eyes turned to Leo. "You did go see him, right?" Leo returned his son's worried stare, and in his own mind, terrible thoughts began to surface.

"Chris, I haven't talked to Gideon in weeks. But I think it's about time I pay him a visit."

* * *

AN: You want to review…you _need_ to review! Actually, you guys have been fantastic about that and I thank you. It's really the thing that gets me motivated to write. There are just not too many good Chris-revelation fics left, right? So ya'll gotta start writing 'em too! Come on:D But, in all seriousness, thanks guys. Hope you liked it. 


	6. Chapter 6

Okay all. Well, sadly enough, I'm done with Disney for a few months. It was a hell of a time though, and I'll be going back in May. Until then…expect updates a little more frequently! This is kind of short, kind of thrown together, more like a bridge. I really don't want to be one of those authors who d-r-a-g-s things out, so we're gonna speed everything up a bit. And get this: I had written a LOT of the next chapter, and it had to be some of my best stuff ever…but here's some advice. After you all ever write anything that good…make sure you save it. Gr. I'm a little bit frustrated, which is why I had to share that with you. But anyway. This intro is longer than I expected so , without further interruptions…enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own. Not mine. Mmmhmm…

-----------------------------------

Gideon sat in the kitchen of his room, sipping tea as he prepared for the day. The newsletter told him of issues confronting the elders of the day, and he read through it to familiarize himself with it.

"I need to talk to you." The voice was hard and menacing, and Gideon was surprised to look up and see Leo.

"What? Leo, my friend. Whatever is the matter?" He knew what the matter was, however, and was barely able to keep his voice stable. Leo wasn't going to do anything, that was for sure, but he needed to think up something quick. Damn that brat for his loud mouth.

"I think you know, Gideon."

"I don't. Please. Enlighten me."

"Since when do you visit my home-my sons-and not visit with us?"

"Sons? Leo, whatever do you mean?" He took it and ran with it, and he knew he had gained an edge. Leo's ridged exterior faltered.

"I...I meant son. But..."

"You said 'sons'." He pointed out. Leo looked torn, so Gideon jumped on the rest of the questions. "I was in your home, but only to check on Wyatt. It was so late; I figured you'd have been asleep. It's not the first time I've visited to check on him." The lie came out so smoothly even Gideon was impressed and he walked over to Leo.

"But Chris said---"

"Ah, yes. Chris. I ran into him. He was sleep walking." He cocked his head. "What did Chris say, Leo?"

"Well, that you were checking to see if he was okay. He's sick and..."

"Leo, all I did was lead the young man back to the nearest bed. He felt a little warm and seemed absolutely exhausted so I helped him and told him to get better."

"Well, that's kind of you---"

"Since when did you listen to what Chris said, Leo? Over my own word?"

"Well..."

"You've been absent for quite a while. Is something wrong at the Manor? Everything okay with Piper and the baby?"

His concern was false, but the intention was to get Leo to bite. If Gideon could get Leo to spill everything, then he wouldn't have to pretend he didn't know; he'd just have to pretend it was the first time finding out.

Leo stared at Gideon. This man was his mentor, his oldest friend in this realm. He trusted him with his greatest secrets, always, and always, he had supported him. He sighed.

"Chris has...well, we have...we're close." He finished after stumbling over himself. Gideon righted himself, hoping to find a question that would crack him.

"Have you found the real reason he came from the future? You said a few months ago you thought he was lying."

"He wasn't." Leo was quick and short. Gideon decided to take another path.

"Oh...well that's good. You've grown closer, hm?" He nodded and walked around the room. "What has been happening in the Manor anyway? I deserve a briefing after such a long time away."

Leo took a deep breath. Gideon would need to know. He had to; it was important information. Vital to what was happening.

"Well, it all really started when we needed to get some information out of Chris...and we kind of opened a can of worms." Gideon raised an eyebrow and Leo took another deep breath.

"Chris...well, he's...my son."

He put on a shocked look, trying to play it up as much as possible. "But...how is that possible?"

"Well...it sure explains why he would risk so much to come and save Wyatt, right?" Leo smirked as he ran his hand through his hair. Gideon moved to sit across from him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"How long have you known?"

"Quite awhile, actually." Gideon raised an eyebrow. "I know, I know I should've told you but...it's really a long story."

"We have time, Leo." He looked into his face. "Tell me what you know."

And Leo, thinking that Gideon was his most trusted friend, opened up for the first time in months.

Over an hour later, he orbed out and another stepped out of the shadows.

"How sweet." He sneered.

"Lytus," Gideon began tiredly. "I was wondering when you would show yourself. But, then again, I should've known you would be too afraid to sneak from the side."

"I'm here for business...if you remember. You called me, needed a meeting."

Gideon closed his eyes, trying to remember a request to meet with this demon and nodded as it came back to him.

"Yes...Chris, Leo's son, has become more and more difficult by letting them find out his identity. They will trust him even more now, and that makes my life difficult. I was hoping you could introduce me to one of your many brothers. Tristan, I believe his name is?"

Lytus' face screwed up in a knot. "But...Tristan is a dark lighter." Gideon grinned.

"Precisely."

--------

Chris sat on the couch in the living room, his head in his hands as Leo went over the conversation he'd had with Gideon. Leo had seen nothing wrong with the encounter that had taken place earlier in the evening. If anything, it now comforted the white lighter because to him, Gideon had the well being of his familyin his mind. Chris, however, didn't see it that way at all.

"Leo, you have to believe me, he---" But Leo cut Chris off. Chris saw conspiracy everywhere. Not that Leo blamed him; he just had to stop seeing it in Gideon.

"Chris, there's no reason for Gideon to try to do anything like that. What would his motive be to do something to an infant? And not just any infant, but _**my son**_?"

"I don't know Leo, it's just weird. It's not right, and I'm sorry, but after living in the world I have, I can tell. It's just not right."

"You have got to be more trusting, Chris." He sat down next to him on the couch and hesitantly placed his hand on Chris's leg. "I can't imagine how hard it must be; after all you've been through. But Gideon is one of my closest, oldest friends." Chris shook his head.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. You trust him all you want, Leo, but I'm gonna watch him." Leo sighed and nodded and Chris looked him right in the eye. "But I'll try. I promise."

It was moment between the two of them, one they hadn't had before and it made Piper smile as she watched, hidden in the doorway. Before, when they talked and Leo gave him advice, Chris took it begrudgingly, and it was more like a mentor-apprentice type relationship. Now, the look on Chris' face and the way he promised Leo...it was like a little boy, vying for his father's approval. It almost made her chuckle.

"Thank you, Chris." Leo smiled, and Chris returned it, and then yawned.

"I'm a still a little out of it though, so I think I might just..." He got up and stretched. "Bed. Nap or something..."

"I think that's a fantastic idea, Chris." Home patted him on the back; gestures like that, the comforting, supportive shoulder rub or leg pat had become routine during the day since his secret had come out, and it seemed that Leo was the only one who Chris would let get close. Piper watched quizzically. It must have been because of the months he had spent with only Leo knowing, spending much of their time together.

She didn't have time to step aside as Chris turned, to make it seem as if she wasn't eavesdropping. At the sight of his mother, his face took on an unusual look. It wasn't dark and angry, but mixed and torn.

"Hey, Piper." He walked past her, hands in his pockets.

"Hey, Chris could we..."

"Maybe later. I...I'm a little tired." He leapt up the stairs, taking them by two and her heart sank. She watched him go as she fiddled with her necklace anxiously; she didn't even hear Leo behind her.

"He's just afraid Piper." He whispered. "Try going up in an hour or so." He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close and breathing in the scent of her hair with a sigh. She grabbed his hands and closed her eyes.

"I just want him to talk to me. He's barely even looked at me, Leo!"

"Just wait." She looked at him, biting her upper lip. "Do you know, it took me months to get to this point? And he definitely likes you**more** in future. I give it...a few weeks, tops."

"Do you really think so?"

"I really do, hon." He squeezed her tighter and kissed her head. "I really do."

----

A few hours later, Piper entered the guest room where Chris lay. His body was curled in the fetal position with his back facing the door. He heard someone walk up, but kept his eyes closed because he didn't want to be bothered right now. And he didn't want to talk.

"We need to talk about this Chris."

"No, we really don't."

"Chris."

"Piper." He replied pointedly.

"You're not being fair, Chris. You can't drop this bombshell--" He cut her off as he sat up and swung his legs over the bed.

"_I've_ dropped no bombshell, need I remind you? You figured it out yourself, which was exactly the opposite of what I wanted." He pushed himself up off the bed. "Just...I just want to sleep, Piper." His voice was strained and Piper bit her lip, fending off tears and stopping herself from pushing. She took a deep breath and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Chris, please. If you ever want to talk-and I think we should, soon-you need to come to me. Please, promise me that."

"I promise." He whispered. He kept his eyes fixated on the floorboard in front of him until he felt her get up off the bed. He heard her sniffle lightly. "Can you close the door, please?" He whispered. She didn't answer him, but moments later, after he heard her shuffle across the floor he heard the door click. His eyes welled with tears and he pressed his fists against them. This was too much.

He lay back down, again curled up loosely, but this time, he let the tears fall from his eyes. It was to release all the pent up anger, anxiety, fear, sadness, longing...everything fell with those tears. And he was alone, thank god; because if he was alone, then there was no one to bear witness to his breakdown and therefore, it wasn't true. He wasn't the weak link in the Halliwell line; and he wasn't going to fail.

-------

The next day, the sisters had gone to work and Piper had taken Wyatt with her. Leo was nowhere to be found, and Chris suspected that they were trying to give some space; some time to think without them hovering over him. And for that, he was grateful.

He decided, very frankly, to be lazy. To sit, on the couch, eating cereal and watching random TV shows for half the day, then decided he had to get to work. He hadn't had a relaxing day in...well, years. Since Wyatt had taken hold in his time, it was always planning, guessing, fighting. He deserved a few hours of peace. At least, that's what he thought.

It seems that someone had other ideas. He had only made it about an hour into his vegetative rest day when, without warning, a dark lighter appeared. Chris gaped.

As the arrow punctured his arm, he let out a low cry. There was no one in the house at all! The dark lighter laughed at his apparent distress.

"My job here is done." With that, flames burned around him as he disappeared. Chris pulled the arrow from his arm with another cry of pain. He fell to his knees, and then rested against the couch as he breathed in deeply. He could feel the poison making its way around his bloodstream, weakening his body with every passing moment. He knew it wouldn't kill him for days; he was only half white lighter. But that was going to be even worse; instead of being quick and relatively painless, it was going to be agony. Unless someone could save him.

His vision began to get blurry, and sweat began to form on his face. His breathing grew heavier and soon he was fading into unconsciousness. Before he did, he had to call him; he needed someone. He just didn't realize, as he slipped into his deliriousness, what he was saying.

"Dad," He whispered. "Help me, Dad."

And somewhere, on another plane, Leo heeded the call.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Don't own it. At all. :(

Enjoy! Please review...and I would like to thank EVERYONE who has. That's awesome, and your awesome, and it does mean a lot to me to have people that actually read my stuff. Okay then. Now, you can enjoy. :D

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He was in an Elder's meeting, mostly because after being absent for so long a time, they had demanded, at the very least, a briefing. And he was in the middle of it, taking it very seriously.

_Dad...help me..._

It was soft, and only Leo could hear it and it chilled him to the bone. _Dad._ Such a simple, monosyllabic word, spoken with such urgency. Without another thought, Leo stopped talking.

"I apologize, but I think I'm needed immediately back home." He stepped down from a podium in front of the counsel of Elders, who looked irritated and began to object but Leo halted them with a glance. "I am needed, at home. My son needs me."

It scared him, really. His voice sounded faint, and fearful. The way Chris was crying out for him was not just a friend to a friend, asking for help. It was from a son to a father, begging for him to answer when he needed him. And apparently, Chris was not used to that happening in the future. Leo hoped to change it.

He orbed into the Manor's living room and surprisingly found...nothing. The room looked pretty clean; no sign of disturbance and Leo wondered if maybe he had panicked for nothing. But then he saw it; a pair of legs, lying askew from the back of the couch, the feet covered in holey, white socks. Chris' socks.

He rushed to the couch, to overlook the young man and his heart dropped at what he saw. A Dark lighter arrow, covered with blood, lay next to his prone body. Leo rushed over to his son and dropped to his knees. Chris' eyes fluttered open.

"You came..." He managed to whisper the surprised observation before the poison retook his consciousness. Leo's body went cold.

With a choked sigh, fear forming a hard ball in the pit of his stomach, he lifted Chris' head onto his knees, and began to brush the hair from his forehead. He needed to get control of himself; he couldn't panic, but had to think clearly. He had to calm down and think, not as a fearful parent, but as a clear minded Elder. After trying to heal his son, and failing, he called for one other person who could help, who could brew a potion to save him.

"PAIGE!"

-----

"I don't know what happened!" Leo was allowing himself to panic now. Using a potion Paige managed to brew up once, the dark lighter's poison was not weakening his immune system any longer. Yet, he was still sick; the wound, no matter how they tried, would not close up.

Right now, they were in Leo's room, the one he shared with Piper, with Chris tucked into the bed, his covers pulled up to his chest. He was shivering and sweating at the same time; and then, there was the fever that wouldn't break. This wasn't like what had happened before; before, he was exhausted, and that was all. This was the effect of the poison that had racked his body, and possibly, an infection to the wound that was now merely dressed in gauze. Leo wiped his son's brow, brushing the hair from his eyes even though he was unconscious. Paige and Phoebe looked on from the foot of the bed, worry in their gaze. It had been a few hours and Leo had already been to the Elders and begged for their help, and they agreed to look into it.

A door opened downstairs and they heard Piper's voice call up the stairs. Phoebe's eyes grew wide. "Oh, god. Piper! We forgot about Piper!" She said. Paige zeroed in on Leo.

"Oh, you're gonna be in trouble..."

"I'm gonna be in trouble? Why am I gonna be in trouble?"

"Because she's gonna wonder why you didn't call her...or go get her or something!" Both were standing facing each other, their voices rising with each moment.

"If I recall, you have the power to orb too, Paige!"

"Hey!" Phoebe snapped the two from their argument in a second. "Your wife," Pointedly to Leo; "And your sister," Pointedly to Paige, "is coming up those stairs and is going to see her son in that bed, sick and hurt. She's not gonna care, at least right away, about who didn't come get who..."

"What the hell?" A voice interrupted from the doorway. Her face was blank, and Wyatt sat on her hip, wide-eyed. "What is going on...?" Her voice began to fade as she saw Chris's prone form in the bed. Her breath caught in her throat.

"Piper, there's been an incident."

"I'd say!" She handed Wyatt to Paige. "Can you...?" Paige nodded without any other necessary request and rushed off with the infant to the nursery, leaving Leo and Phoebe alone with Piper. "What the hell happened!"

"He was attacked by a dark lighter." Phoebe said flatly. She was never really one to mince words, but she wished she had as she saw Piper visibly start at the words. "But he's okay now...kind of."

"Kind of?" She rushed to the bedside. "Phoebe, he's sweating! His face is so pale, his lips have a bluish tint to them, and there looks to be a large flesh wound that hasn't been healed yet!" She stared daggers at Leo, who shook his head.

"Because we can't, Piper. We tried, and I don't know why, but it won't close." His eyes were pained and he couldn't even look her in the eye. Her voice shook as she spoke next.

"Well, what about the Elders?"

"I've consulted them," He began. "But...the only thing we can really do is wait, Piper. And hope. We just have to take care of him." She sat softly on the side of the bed as Leo spoke.

"This sucks, Leo." She whispered. "I feel so useless."

"I know. But it'll get better." He rested his hand on her shoulder and together they stared at their son.

"I can't believe how he is, Leo." She whispered after a few moments. "I'm so...proud." She chuckled. "I didn't even raise him...I mean, I will. But God, Leo! I do love him, already I do."

Tears glistened in her eyes and she leaned against Leo's leg, blinking them away while he could only stare. Chris wasn't going to die; he couldn't. They would fix this. And as he proceeded to run his fingers through Piper's hair, he told her just that.

------------

Chris wasn't sure where he was; but he knew he was not awake.

It was cloudy, smoky and he was in an all white room, a black dining room chair just sitting in the middle of it. He walked over to it, running his fingers over the edges. It was the chair from his future, the kind that was in his mother's kitchen. He sat, his mind spinning. He remembered getting hit with the dark lighter arrow, calling for his father...having his father actually come. He shook his head and buried his face in his palms. This was fucked up, even for his family.

His head in his hands, he didn't see the surroundings of his dining room reappear. When he looked up, it took his breath away. It was just as he remembered. It made his heart ache.

"Don't run," A voice came behind him. He froze. Wyatt. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

Chris leapt up from his chair, backing into the corner of the room. "Get away from me!"

"Chris, look at me!" Wyatt insisted sternly, but Chris was already transfixed. His hair wasn't long, there was no black muscle shirt and more importantly: there was no Excalibur.

"What's going on?" Chris asked suspiciously.

"You, are what's going on." Wyatt grinned, and walked to his brother, who flinched. Wyatt hung back, slightly hurt. "Chris, you're doing it! You have to keep it going!"

"Wyatt, this is a dream; it's hope. Not reality. You're not here, you're not good, and I am going to fail." Wyatt shook his head ferociously.

"No! The dream plane is the same, no matter the year." Wyatt's gaze held onto him. "Chris, I am the Wyatt that can be, that's supposed to be. You have to stop him!"

"Stop who?" Chris' eyes widened. "Oh geez, you know! You know who it is!"

"Of course." Wyatt snorted, and Chris rolled his eyes. He had Wyatt's air. But unlike his brother, this Wyatt was nice. He followed with a smile; a genuine smile. "But I can't tell you; they won't let me."

"Who?"

"The higher up's. Dad's bosses." Wyatt said. Chris rolled his eyes and sauntered to a dining room chair, plopping down lazily. It hadn't taken long to get comfortable with his brother; it was too easy to be okay with this new Wyatt. Plus, this was a dream. What would it hurt? "Hey! This is serious Chris!"

"Oh really? I didn't get that...hey, should I show you the giant gash in my shoulder? That I wouldn't have if I wasn't in the past, saving your ASS!" Chris was mad, and Wyatt sat, taking it in.

"And the world thanks you for it, Chris. But---"

"And how are you even here? How? You're not the one in the future, it's him. He's the tyrant."

"By coming back, you have caused a split. You have caused an opportunity for the world to be a better place; there's two timeline's now, Chris. One will be eliminated. You have to work, though. You have to fight this illness Chris."

"Dark lighter's poison is fatal, Wyatt." Chris voice was strained, because saying it made it more real. He was going to die.

"To white lighter's. We're half-breeds, Chris. You'll survive the poison; you just have to survive yourself."

"Riddle me this, riddle me that." He snapped.

"You're so bitter, Chris. That's something you can fix too."

"The bitterness is a product of the situation, Wyatt. If I change this, it'll all be different."

"You **will** change it Chris. I know you will. I have faith in you." He grabbed Chris by the shoulders as he said. "But it's time to go now. You have to wake up, you have to get better. You have to beat this." Chris stood to face his brother, and inch or so shorter, his eyes meeting his older brothers. "I love you Chris." Chris threw his arms around him the, begging whatever higher power was controlling this, that he would have the strength to fix it.

As he pulled back from the embrace, he was nodding, accepting that he had to keep fighting, had to keep going. He eyed Wyatt. "So you can't tell me who it is?"

"I can't," Wyatt began. "But you already know who it is; you just have to convince Dad."

He looked intently at Chris, his eyes very focused on his brothers and Chris knew who it was. "Gideon! It is him, isn't it?" But Wyatt's head jerked up, and his lips pursed.

"They're not happy, but...I didn't actually say it, never. You figured it out, Chris."

"Why does it matter, anyway? Aren't they for the greater good?"

"Well, you were the one that had to figure it out; that's what prophecy had foretold."

"Prophecy! Since when---"

"Since you came back in time!" Wyatt grabbed his brother's shoulders as if to finally grind sense into him. "You have changed everything! Understand?" The urgency in his voice startled Chris and left him almost breathless.

"Ye...Yeah..." Chris was shaken up, and Wyatt saw it and softened.

"I gotta go, they're really mad. I love you, okay bro? Stay safe." And with a hug and a ruffle of his hair, Wyatt walked backwards and faded into the air. Chris' eyes unexpectedly filled with tears. He had to do this, he had to fix it. He had to make that Wyatt a reality.

-----------

In the master bedroom, in the second floor of the manor, Leo sat at his son's bed side and watched as a tear escaped his eye, slipping down the side of his face. As he wiped it away, Chris' eyes fluttered open. He was immediately disoriented, and Leo thought he heard Chris utter 'Wyatt', but it wasn't what he was focusing on.

"Chris!"

His eyes found Leo and he smiled tiredly. "Hey,"

"Hey, bud. Are you feeling better?"

"Aside from the gaping hole in my shoulder, yeah. Yeah, I am."

Leo chuckled at his son's wry humor. "Well, good to know. But you need to rest still."

"Yeah, I know. Let's just say I had an eye opening dream."

"Thank god, something finally got to you." Leo rose then, patting him on his shoulder. "Here, i'll go get you some water and some medicine. I'll be right back."

"Okay," As Leo began to walk to the door, Chris called to him. "Wait."

"Yeah, Chris?"

"I just...um..." He took a deep breath. "Thanks for coming for me, Dad." Leo took a deep breath and nodded.

"Anytime, son. Anytime."

----

Hope you liked it! I have quite a bit more time on my hands, expect more frequent updates. But yeah...reviews, possibly constructive criticism kids D. Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note:

I would like to really apologize to you all, for the absence of updates these past few months...it's been a rough couple months, but I'm submitting this one and starting on the new chapter, so yeah :D. I hope you all enjoy this; also, I've never had such a response on any story, so thank you:D SO MUCH:D

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The last few days had been somewhat of a blur. Chris had been fading in and out of consciousness during the day, mostly for an hour or so to eat or drink something, and make small talk with his family. They wouldn't let him get up and walk anywhere, except to go to the bathroom, and he had to admit he kind of liked being waited on. He had been so busy the last few months with everything; he hadn't taken a few moments to himself ever. This was nice. Despite the lingering-near-death part.

His shoulder wasn't healing as fast as he would've liked, but Leo had found something to help it begin to close. Chris silently cursed Gideon. He knew he hired the dark lighter, had hired Barbas before him, and probably Lytus before that! He was so angry about it, but he couldn't act on it, couldn't even hint to it because Leo would never believe him.

It was three daysbeforehe was able to beup for longer periods of time, to be up long enough to get to talk to his family. He knew he had to relax; he had to talk to them, to make them more relaxed around him. Although he knew they would trust him because of his relation to them, he had to get them to listen to him as well. He awoke that morning for more than a nap; today, he was determined to get out of bed. If they'd let him.

His eye's fluttered open to welcome the day, and the first person he saw was Piper. He grinned.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" She asked, smiling wide. He propped himself up on the pillows with his elbows.

"Much better. A little sore, but none worse for the wear."

"Good." She patted him on the leg and rose up. "I'll get you some breakfast."

"Uh-how about I go downstairs with you to the kitchen and have it there?" Piper eyed him warily, then, unable to resist his begging glance, nodded.

"Fine. Come on then." He almost leapt out of bed with excitement, and for a moment, felt as if he were still a child, gleefully responding to his mother's permission. She chuckled at him and he grinned back sheepishly. She made a move to the stairs when his hand shot out, grabbed hers tightly and orbed her to the kitchen. She blinked widely. "Whaa---?"

"You shouldn't be straining yourself so much. You've already done enough for me."

"You're just getting well, Chris, after such a scare. And you're my---"

"What's for breakfast?" He changed the subject, letting go of her hand as he walked to the fridge. She watched him, mouth still open from where he interrupted her. She let it go though, and walked to the oven.

"I made some muffins, earlier, and they've been sitting in here, keeping warm. I hope you like blueberry..."

"Oh man, they're my favorite!" He grabbed the milk from the fridge and orbed two glasses in front of him. Piper raised an eyebrow and he grinned.

"Heh...magic is an integral part of our lives."

"Yeah, I got that." He poured the milk and gave her a glass and bit into his first muffin with gusto as they sat at the counters. He sat, chewing happily. He swallowed, washing it down with half a glass of milk. Piper gaped at his appetite.

"Man, you're really enjoying that!" He nodded, chewing another bite and swallowing before speaking.

"Yeah, well, I love these! I haven't had one like this since I was like...man, thirteen or four-," He stopped, his gusto fading quickly. "...teen." He looked at her, then away. "Oh, wow. Awkward."

"Why?" She asked, even though she knew. "Look, Chris...we're gonna have to talk about this sooner or later."

"No, we really don't." He got up to walk out of the kitchen, leaving his 2nd mostly eaten muffin behind, but she stopped him.

"So what? You're gonna throw this chance away? Don't walk away from me, young man!" Her tone in the last sentence surprised both of them, and Chris froze. He hadn't heard anyone sound like that since she had died, since right before she had died. He turned, his feet planted to the same spot and she could see the shock written on his face. "I...I don't know where that came from." She said softly.

"You sound just like her," He whispered. She walked over to him slowly, because he looked like deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle, and he was ready to bolt.

"Well, I am her, so that would explain it. Just...14 years younger, I suppose." She touched his arm lightly and he didn't pull away. His eyes were locked, staring straight ahead at nothing; it was as if he were finally letting himself realize the magnitude of the situation.

She led him into the living room and sat him down on the couch opposite of her, as she sat in the arm chair. He wouldn't look at her, not right in the face at least. She sat with him in absolute silence until he cleared his throat.

"So...this is gonna be weird isn't it?"

"A little, but I think we'll manage okay." She spoke softly for him, not wanting to be too brash. He shook his head and pulled away now, as if to shake the situation off.

"Don't you understand, Piper? I can't do this. I can't..."

"You can't what, Chris? I mean, I obviously don't understand, because I feel this need to---"

"**_I can't lose you again!_**" He interrupted her with a yell and it stopped her in the middle of her mothering lecture. He was standing now in front of her, tears of frustration and pain welled in his eyes. "Please, don't make me go through that again."

He was begging now and it seemed with that outburst, he had released a weight from himself. His body, seemingly tired, began to slump and he sank to the floor, his head slouching. She touched his shoulder.

"But you won't. Not like that. Not again, ever, if I have any say."

"But don't you get it? Future consequences? All of it!"

"Yeah, and you keeping Wyatt from turning evil? That's a future consequence!" She got to his level at this point and forced him to look at her. "Not all consequences mean bad things."

He stared at her for a moment, and then a small smile crept across his face. As he began to chuckle, she looked at him questioningly and sat back as he laughed little. "What?"

"I mean, I know you're...you! But...wow. I mean...wow." Her eyebrows rose. "You said that to me, once...or will? I don't know."

"Why would I ever say that to you?" She was genuinely curious, and he thought for a moment before dismissing his concern. He knew the question would eventually come up in his future whether he answered her question or not; it was asked by him, as a young boy.

"When I was 10, I was at magic school. Some kid was teasing Wyatt and I, telling us we weren't supposed to be, that our parents weren't supposed to be together."

"What!" Her eyes flamed. He shook his head to ease her.

"Okay, this is in 10 years, Piper. Calm down." He was relaxed now, a smile as he reminisced. "Well, I asked you about it, later that night after looking into it, and I found out how White lighters and Witches weren't supposed to marry...or have children. And I asked you why you would do it, even if you knew you would get in trouble from," He pointed up with a roll of the eyes and she laughed. "And that's what you told me; that not all consequences meant bad things."

"Sounds like pretty good advice."

"Really good advice. I'm ashamed I didn't remember it." His gaze grew soft now and fond as he gazed at her.

"What?"

"You raised me better than how I've been acting these past few months. I'm...I'm sorry."

"No; don't do that. I'm sorry; we're sorry, for how we've all treated you, Chris. It's hard to be polite, to do right, when everyone spits venom at you. I'm sure much harder when your own," She broke off, almost too appalled by her own past words to continue. "Your own parents say it. You, standing up for yourself? Your determination, to do what you're doing? Chris...I'm proud of you; now, or 14 years from now, 22 years from now...I'll always be proud that you stood for what you believed in. I will always be proud of you for this."

His eyes had become filmed with tears at her mini-speech, and she smiled at him again, through her own forming tears. He sighed, blinked them away and looked down. In a small voice, he spoke.

"Even when I ruin the really old, antique rug Grams left you?"

"You _what_!" Her eyes snapped open. His head rose with a playful grin.

"Aw, I'm only gonna be 6; just make sure to remember that so you can put it up...around Christmas."

"You little--" She began playfully. He laughed and pushed himself up onto the armchair for a little more comfort. "Brat."

"Kinda, yeah." She threw one of the small pillows from the couch at her son and he dodged it with a laugh. She rose slowly, straightening her blouse as she stood.

"I'm gonna go get us something to drink. But, how about when I come back, you tell me some more fun stuff?" His gaze shifted to her and concentrated on her unconscious rubbing of her belly. He smiled lightly.

"Well, if you must know," He grinned, his tone playful. "I was the favorite." She laughed and his smile turned sad.

"Is that so?"

"Well, maybe not so much. You loved us both the same."

"Love," She corrected. He swallowed.

"Love." He whispered. "Do love."

Tears sprang to his eyes again as she turned and left the room and this time he rubbed them away quickly with a sigh. It would be okay; no longer awkward, no longer painful for him. Well, scratch that; it would be painful, because he would have to leave her eventually again. But, just not in such a violent manner.

But it was her; not**his** her, but her. And if it brought him a shred of comfort through this strenuous battle, then so be it. He would let it. And he knew she would be an ally, so after some memory share...it would be time for business.

------

Leo shimmered into the bedroom he and Piper shared to check on Chris before he made his way to the guest room to sleep with Piper. He was shocked, though, to not find Chris, but Piper.

"What-"

"Just get in. I'll tell you in a second."

"Piper..."

"He's fine, Leo, geez. He's not an infant; at least not yet." She chuckled as she rubbed her stomach. "Come on, come to bed."

"But--"

"Leo. He was up all day, walking and talking and feeling fine. He ate a lot, his appetites back," She smiled. "We talked."

"You did?" Now Leo sunk to the bed, next to her. He kicked off his shoes before lying next to her and wrapped his arms around her bulging midsection.

"Yeah...it was good. He told me a lot. Not all pleasant, but...it felt good for him to talk to me. To trust me."

"I know what you mean," He began. "When he finally opened up to me, I didn't talk; I was afraid it was gonna be like going up to a spooked animal, and saying something and having it run." He was grinning.

"Yeah...but." Her tone turned doubtful, apprehensive of her next topic. "Leo, he thinks he knows who is responsible for it all."

"He does?"

"You won't like it...the idea, at all. You'll refuse it..."

Leo sighed; "He still thinks its Gideon."

"Leo...I have to say, I kinda agree. I believe him." With that, Leo pulled away a little and Piper rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Leo..."

"No, Piper. No. Gideon...he's my oldest friend. He's my mentor, for Christ's sake, he's an Elder!" He was sitting now.

"He says Wyatt came to him, Leo. When he was out...that Wyatt, the good Wyatt that can be, came to him. And told him."

"It was just his subconscious." Leo replied stubbornly.

"Leo,"

"Piper,"

The both stopped talking and just stared. Leo bit first, though, and gave in.

"Fine. I'll look into it. A little. But I'm telling you..."

"And I'm telling you." Her voice was stern. "That kid has been through hell, and he's pretty damn adamant that Gideon has something to do with this. What do you think? That Gideon's gonna come out and admit it? Come on, Leo."

"Piper, I just don't see why--"

"And that is exactly why Gideon makes the perfect sense. Cause he doesn't seem like the one who would do this."

"I'll look into it. Can we...can we just sleep, Piper?" She looked at him now and realized how beat up he looked, how worn and she nodded.

"Of course." She scooted over and let him climb into bed. As he relaxed, she rolled in to him, her body overlapping his as she rested her head on his chest and sighed contentedly. "I love you."

"I love you too." He kissed her head and laid back. Soon she was sleeping but he wasn't. His eyes darted in the dark; questions flew through his head. What if Chris was right? What if...what if Gideon wanted Wyatt dead?

-------

"He's become too much of a problem." Gideon stood at his desk, Sigmund in front of him. "But the good thing I've learned about problems is if you can't solve them...well, in this case, you can eliminate them."

"Sir, I must say, the boy...too much innocent blood is being shed, sir." He finished weakly. Gideon looked at him suspiciously.

"What are you trying to say, Sigmund?"

"I...I cannot let you, sir, take any more innocent life. I will not." He was nervous, but serious and determined.

"That is unfortunate, Sigmund; I'd grown to like you." And without warning, an electrical current shot from his hands and zapped the man to ashes on the floor. "So unfortunate. But I guess its true; if you want something done right, you must do it yourself." With that, he turned to his bookshelf and began thumbing through books. He needed to plan, all himself...with one other perhaps, whom he had in mind. It would take awhile, because it had to be perfect, but hopefully in the end, both problems would be eliminated.

He smiled to himself; A_nd_ _they have no idea_.

On earth however, Chris lay in bed. He could hear his brother's words, feel his arms around him and the determination set in his mind. Nothing, not even the Elders, would stop him from making that Wyatt a reality.

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So? Okay? Please, more feedback. It's always very wanted :)


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: So, I'm sorry it's been so long. And "sorry" doesn't really make it better, or make readers less irritated with the whole thing, but that's how I roll. Kinda. Not in the bitchy, i-do-what-I-want-way, but I don't write if I have nothing to write. I won't draw a story out if I don't know where it's going. That, and school/work and all that...i'm sure you guys can understand and relate.

I know it's been a year; over a year. Wow...lol. And I'm sure most people thought I had given up on it, because truth be told, I kind of had. And then I was rereading it, and decided hey, what the hell? So here's my attempt to pick up where I left off, hopefully keep some of my readers. I hope you all enjoy it, cause I feel pretty good about it...I actually have a plan as to where I'm leading it to and how it's going to end, so that probably helps with the writing process lol...but seriously. A few more chapters and I'll be done. So I hope you all enjoy this! And are not too mad at me. lol...

Just a warning...I'm sure none of us are fans of Gideon, but I make him pretty bad in this chapter. So yeah. Just in case any of you are like, oh he's not that bad. He really is. lol...

Disclaimer: Not mine. :)

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Days turned into weeks quickly. Chris would lurk quietly in the corners of magic school, searching through books as he begged off that he was merely searching for leads and hitting dead ends at every turn. His recent discovery of Gideon's involvement triggered an assuredness in himself that Gideon had had so much to do with many of recent mishaps and run in's with demons and dark lighters. Because of this, he decided to lay off Gideon for awhile, and try and be a little more aloof for the search. He didn't need Gideon overly suspicious of him. 

Gideon, on the other hand, scrutinized the young man. He acted very cordial to him at all times, sometimes too much for Chris' taste when Leo was present, but like Chris, he was playing a role. Neither knew the other was onto them, and wanted to keep it that way so both were playing very calm.

Leo was watching both men, carefully, not willing to distrust Gideon, but even less willing to not believe his own son. As much as he hated to consider it, or even acknowledge the possibility of harmful intentions on Gideon's part, he couldn't ignore every possibility. Especially with Piper hounding after him.

As for Piper, the more her stomach grew, the more ornery she seemed to become, much to everyone's dismay in the home. More often with every passing day, she would mention Gideon to Leo, or ask Chris how he was doing with his end of the search, and more often than not, was not satisfied with a simple, one word reply.

However, there were other positive, more constant points in their lives. Chris now lived in the Manor with his family and interacted with them the same way. It was a nice change to how he'd been living his life ever since he had ever come back from the future. While things were moving smoothly, and he and Gideon each assumed they were off the other's respective radar, they had no idea of the storm that was brewing the coming days. Because both knew something had to happen to end this; Gideon would soon make his move on Wyatt and Chris was growing closer to evidence that Gideon was behind all of it. No one could know, however, how soon the bottom would drop out.

-------

"What are you up to?" Piper snuck up behind her 22 year old son quietly, yet he didn't start as she asked her innocent question. He sighed, leaning back with a stretch of his arms and a smile for his mother.

"Hey Piper...not too much, really. Research."

"What a surprise." She remarked dryly with a roll of her eyes. "How about you come downstairs with me, for a snack break?"

"A snack break?" He arched his eyebrows, silently asking if she was joking. Her responding look told him without words that she was not, and he rose with a wider grin. "I mean, MMmm. That sounds delicious."

"That's what I was looking for."

As she followed him downstairs, she thought about how he had changed in two weeks. He moved around the home more comfortably than he had been. While he had always moved around the Manor like he knew it by heart, now he seemed more apart of it than ever. He still wouldn't call her "Mom" though, which she would never admit bothered her like it really did. However, she just tried to tell herself it had taken Leo almost 4 months to get him to be comfortable enough to call him Dad, so a few more weeks would probably bring the most cherished word to his mouth as he spoke to her, instead of Piper.

"Piper?" He asked as he reached the foot of the stairs, staring up at her as she stood at a point halfway down. "Are you okay?"

His eyebrows were knitted with worry, and she offered a reassuring smile which caused them to relax. "I'm fine, Chris. Just getting a breather...it's not easy carrying a bowling ball around in your belly."

He flushed at that, turning to the kitchen in embarrassment as Piper suppressed a laugh. The young man was beyond professional when it came to most things, but whenever anyone referenced his fetal self or anything related to baby things, he became close mouthed and red. It was actually a little entertaining for the family.

She entered the kitchen soon after him, and saw him at the counter with Paige as she removed the milk from the fridge. He waited until Piper sat next to him before quickly stealing a cookie.

"Fresh from the oven." She pointed out. He merely nodded, his mouth full of cookie with a grin.

"Oatmeal Cinnamon. My favorite." Although it came out more muffled as he spoke with a mouth half full. Paige, her nose wrinkled in distaste, handed him a glass of fresh milk, which he took gratefully and downed. Piper chuckled.

"Remind me to work on that mannerism." She commented wryly to her sister. Chris, in turn, shook his head stubbornly with a grin.

"Nope. Never really stuck. I'm a full mouth talker."

Paige watched the exchange with a soft smile. Chris had never seemed so relaxed, so assured and she knew it was because he so strongly believed Gideon to be the perpetrator in the "turn Wyatt evil" campaign.

"How's everything going lately? Anything new?" She asked, suddenly interested to see if he had turned up anything else. Piper felt a little dismayed that her sister turned the talk to business so soon, but it was a foremost worry on everyone's mind, so she supposed it was okay in the end.

"Good, good. The bastard--"

"Language." Piper interjected sharply. He looked at her incredulously, but didn't argue.

"Sorry. The _jerk_," He emphasized, earning an eye roll from his mother. "Doesn't really leave a paper trail, but I'm thinking of more preventative measures. One is binding his powers. All of them." He looked from his aunt to his mother and back as he revealed his idea. "Mostly because, if you think about it, without powers, we can keep him from Wyatt, or at least...more aptly defend Wyatt if Gideon comes right at him."

"Can you do that? Like, is it even possible?" Paige asked. Elder powers, especially a powerful Elder like Gideon, would probably prove formidable.

"Not by myself. That's why I'm mentioning it. We would need the power of three. Probably from a remote location too. It's what I've been working on, but I did mean to check with you all."

"I think that's probably the safest way to go. Without powers, it'd be awfully hard to get Wyatt from us, or to do him any harm." Paige piped in, and Piper nodded.

"I need to get back to work then." He said, getting up quickly, but not before grabbing two extra cookies. He grinned at his mother and aunt, with a quick thank you to Piper, before orbing back to the attic to work more.

"Well." Piper sighed. "That didn't go exactly like I wanted it to, but well enough I suppose."

"He'll come around, hon. It took him 3 months or so before starting to call Leo "Dad". It'll be shorter for you...it's only been a few weeks!"

"I know, I know." She waved her hand around with a shake of her head. "I just...I think I'm trying to make up for treating him so badly before. I just want to be able to mother him and he won't let me."

"You're funny, Piper..." Paige said, wiping her hands on a towel. "Just give it time, he'll come around. I mean...haven't you ever seen the way he looks at you? He adores you."

She reddened and grinned. "Really?"

Paige raised her eyebrows. "You seriously don't see him? Whenever you're doing something, not really looking at him or paying attention, he looks at you with this look on his face...you're like, huge to him. Losing you, then getting you back now, and you being all mother hen is probably just a shock for him. You just gotta give him time."

"You're probably right." She sighed, rubbing her belly. "I just...yeah. Yeah, you're probably right. I think I'm gonna go lay down for a little bit. He was kicking up a storm last night, kept me up half the night."

"Okay. I'll wake you up in a few. We're still doing dinner tonight?"

Piper sighed, making her way toward the stairs with a nod and small smile. "Yep. Meatloaf."

"Sounds good. I think I'm gonna head to Richards then, hang out with him for awhile. Have a good nap, hon."

"Oh, I will. Believe me."

She dragged her way up the stairs, as she heard the twinkling of orbs as her sister left the manor. She passed by the room Chris now stayed in, where he was often to be found scouring over pages of notes and spells. The door was cracked, so she peeked in and saw him hunched over the desk, a small paper in his hands as he stared at it, shaking his head sadly. She saw it was a photograph, but couldn't make out the figures in it.

She watched his morose form for only a moment or two more, wanting more than anything to burst into the room and hug him, take all the sadness away, but she pulled herself from the door. He was probably looking at a picture from his other time, for the edges were tattered and worn. That was not a life she could understand, nor comfort him from. She had to let him be the man he was. It was just hard to accept he was a man, while he was at the same time, not even yet born.

----

7 hours passed and the family sat around the table for dinner. Chris had taken his normal spot next to Leo, who was on one side of Wyatt in his high chair as Piper took the other. The infant seemed to be wearing more of his dinner than eating it. Paige, Richard and Phoebe each sat in their respective seats, enjoying the meal and making small talk, which soon turned into serious conversation about preventing Wyatt from danger. It was not the way Piper would've liked to spend the evening.

It began innocently enough, with Chris putting the idea out into the open again about binding Gideon's powers. Leo had been against it at first, but as rational discussion continued he seemed to be swaying towards their side. Besides, they weren't going to hurt Gideon; just take away his powers when they figured he'd be going after Wyatt; if he was going to go after Wyatt.

That was when things took a turn for the worse.

"But how will we know for sure when that is?" Piper asked. Chris exchanged a glance with his father, a _"Do you want to tell her or should I?"_ type of stare and Piper began to get suspicious. "What?"

"Well," Chris began. "It's been like 3 weeks, since the whole dark lighter thing happened. I was gonna go to the underworld tonight, scope around a little."

"I don't think that's a good idea." She rebutted immediately, her demeanor changing to one of staunch objection. "You're shoulder just fully healed; you've _barely_ been without soreness for a few days. And you want to go to the underworld? It's just dangerous, Chris."

"I was going to go with him, Piper." Leo said lightly.

"Still." She replied stubbornly.

"Look, Piper. I'm going. This is important; we need to figure this out."

"You can figure it out some other way, than going into a dangerous situation. Then you can wait until the morning, when you're well rested."

"No. We're going now." He rose indignantly, setting his napkin on the plate clear of food. "Look, Piper. I understand you worry. But I've been taking care of myself a long time, and been in much tighter positions, more dangerous positions than this. We'll be fine. With Dad with me, there's nothing to worry about."

"I just don't feel comfortable with it."

"It has to get done." Was all he replied, not looking at her as he busied himself among the silence picking up dishes. He hurried into the kitchen. The table was silent, Piper's face downcast as she stared down at her plate. Her sisters looked at each other, their faces sad for her and Leo merely sighed.

"I...think I'm gonna go help with the dishes."

To Piper's credit, she waited a few minutes before excusing herself to go to the bathroom. She made her way to the stairs but not before detouring near the doorway of the kitchen; she wanted to hear what was going on, without them knowing she was there. Sure, it may have been a little childish, but her frustration won out over good sense.

"...was that really necessary though, Chris?"

"Dad..." The reply came low and exasperated from the young man's mouth. "I didn't mean to be as harsh as it may have sounded..."

"I think you really hurt her feelings though Chris. She can't help but mother you, and worry about you."

"She didn't care when she didn't know I was her son." He bit softly. Her heart sank; the sadness in his voice was prominent and she could practically envision Leo putting his arm around Chris' shoulder.

"All she knew was that you were a stranger, and you know we can't trust that easily. And if I recall, there were a few occasions that she told you to watch out, be careful...asked you if it was really necessary. It's not like she didn't care; I'm sure being pregnant with you now though has probably elevated her mother hen attitude just a little."

"I know..." Chris half laughed at it. "It's just...if I let her mother me, then go back to where she's not? I'm losing her all over again. I mean, I get close to you, the aunts, cause I know you'll all probably be there, but mom..." His voice cracked now. "**Piper.** She died before them. Before Wyatt became what he is. And...It's taken me too long to get over it. I can't go back to before, because...I just can't."

"We don't know that she's going to die, Chris. I won't let that happen, I swear to you..."

"You can't promise that..." He whispered, almost so low Piper couldn't hear.

"It was my fault last time, I didn't come. But I swear, if you ever scream like that..." He trailed off, his mind on a memory he shouldn't have seen. "Even if it does happen, if I can't stop it...we'll be there for you, in the changed future, Chris. I'll know, I'll be there, Wyatt will be there, your aunts. We can help you. Don't throw this chance away, Chris. You'll regret it."

She heard Chris chuckle. "That seems to be everyone's running mantra here..."

"Better than _'future consequences'_." Leo replied dryly, teasing his son and earning a chuckle from him. "Here. Let me finish these, you go up and look in the book, see what we need to do tonight. Okay?"

"Okay."

The sound of orbs quickly followed and Piper relaxed a little. He had called her "mom", in a roundabout way. And while she knew it had bothered him, to know that it was because he loved her that much, not because he was still bitter made her feel a little better.

"Are you just gonna stand there, or are you coming in?"

Piper reddened at her ex-husbands voice, but after a few moments entered the kitchen bashfully. "So you knew I was there?"

"The whole time."

"Do you think he did?"

"No...I just know where you are all the time." Leo's voice was warm and loving, if not a bit humored. "He wasn't really focusing on it. But you heard why he talked like that earlier, right?"

"I know. I understand, but it still hurts to be held out so far..."

"Give it a few more weeks. He'll let you in; it took me almost 4 months, right? It shouldn't be very much longer for you." Leo grinned. "He likes you more."

"Oh, you know that's not true."

"Yeah, yeah." Unable to resist, he curled his arm around her waist and pulled her toward him, planting a kiss on her mouth.

"What was that for?" She asked, pulling back with a grin. He just shrugged with a small smile on his face.

"Couldn't help myself." He pulled away from her. "I'm gonna go. He's waiting...and try not to worry too much. I'm watching over him."

"You're such a good dad."

"I hope I will be for years to come." He said, smiling still. "We'll see you later." He orbed out, leaving Piper alone in the kitchen, with a small pile of dishes accumulating in front of her. She turned to leave; her sisters were gonna help with them too.

------

Unbeknownst to any of the Halliwell clan, even the one most suspicious of Gideon, the elder was growing tired of his number one nuisance. He felt close to Leo, he did, and cared for him very deeply, but sacrifices must be made for the greater good. He was regretful that after all of his other attempts to dissuade Chris from further interfering with his goal of eliminating Wyatt had failed, it seemed another of the Halliwell offspring were going to have to be sacrificed.

He held a small vial up in the light, it's odorless and tasteless qualities making it a prime agent for what he felt had to be done. He sighed; in silencing Sigmund, he had throw away someone who could help carry out his missions. But he knew it was true; he had to do things himself, if he wanted them to turn out how he wanted them.

He didn't want to do this, to resort to taking another of Leo's children. But it had to be done, for Chris was getting too close, this he knew. Chris was skilled and Gideon knew he was on the top of his list of suspects, which meant he was under the most scrutiny. Getting rid of him, well. That was a necessary evil.

He orbed out of his office then, knowing exactly where Leo and Chris were as well as the Halliwell sisters. It was night time, so the father and son were probably hunting something in the underworld, and it being around 10 pm, the sisters were probably just getting ready for bed. It was the prime time to take advantage.

----

The Halliwell sisters were only at 2 that night, Paige having orbed over to Richard's for a night of comfort and relaxation. It left the other two to sit and chat, watch some television and catch up on some much needed sisterly bonding. Almost 10 o'clock, Piper decided she was going to make some tea and have something before going to bed to help her sleep.

She moved around the kitchen easily, Phoebe hanging out across the bar top as she flipped through a magazine lazily, not really reading. "You know, I'm sure he'll loosen up soon enough."

"Story of his life, I'm sure." Piper said with a roll of her eyes. "I'm gonna stop being so overprotective, though. I mean, he is 22 years old and the world he came from is supposedly pretty rough. I'm sure he can handle himself...it doesn't mean I stop worrying though."

"And he knows that Piper. I'm sure he's not looking to get himself killed." She skipped a beat. "Well, at least not before stopping Gideon."

Piper glanced at her sister sharply. "Pheebs..."

"I was just kidding!"

"Not funny." She replied deadpanned, dipping her tea bag slowly in and out of the hot mug. "Come on, let's go back in. I'll come back in a few a get this, let it cool a little."

An invisible figure waited until they left the room, and sat in the living room before he appeared. He stood over the mug, dropping a few drops into the tea before grimacing to himself. He really hated to have to do it, but it was his obligation as an Elder. What was best for the greater good must be exercised.

A few minutes later, Phoebe got up to go the bathroom, and offered to grab her sisters tea on the way back in.

"Cause by the time you get yourself off the couch, you'd have to boil it up again." She joked. Piper flung a throw pillow at her, but laughed.

"Thank you dear sister...I _think_." Piper replied teasingly, settling her hands upon her belly.

Minutes later, though, she rose quicker than she ever would've expected when she heard a cup crash on the floor. She hurried into the kitchen to see Phoebe staring horrifically at the broken glass, tea splashed all around it threatening to stain her wood floor.

"Phoebe, what is the matter---"

"Gideon. Gideon did something to your tea."

"What? Phoebe, that's crazy, we've been in the living room less than 5 minutes." Piper replied. Phoebe shook her head.

"No, no...when I grabbed it...I had a premonition. And I saw him, drop something in there. And I don't think it was to help you're skin glow or make your hair shinier or something.

Piper paused, staring at the spill and slowly felt an ominous, foreboding sense overtake her. "Can you figure out what it was?"

"It'll take me awhile, but...I don't mind being up all night." Piper could see her trembling a little, and she walked to her.

"Hey. It's okay, I didn't drink it." She said with a reassuring chuckle. Phoebe shook her head.

"This isn't okay. Do you realize, if he did something to it...something bad, to hurt you or..." She nodded toward her sister's belly. "That means he really is the one we're looking for, and has been all along? He's supposed to be on our side."

Piper pursed her lips and nodded. "And that is exactly why we trust no one but family. Come on, I help you get some stuff together."

"And call Paige. She can help."

"But I don't..."

"She won't mind. Not for this." Phoebe said surely, and Piper nodded. It seemed like all of their relaxing evenings had turned suddenly tense, and that no one was going to be resting tonight.

----

3 AM came quickly. It worried Piper that Leo and Chris had not returned yet, but she was sure they were merely working or out somewhere. Paige was still able to sense them faintly, which meant they were out there somewhere, and safe.

It had taken spells, and much testing of the remaining tea they were able to collect from the floor, but eventually, Phoebe and Paige made their way into the kitchen, where Piper was drinking a fresh cup of tea-one she had kept her eye on every second she had been making it.

Their faces were ashen, and fearful. They approached their sister warily; her temper was a force to be reckoned with and although they knew she would be angry with Gideon, they were sure there was going to be anger and yelling in the next few minutes.

"Hey! So...what did you..." Piper's tiredly cheerful voice faded as she saw their faces. "What's wrong? What did he do?"

"Well, it took awhile, to figure it all out. We had to test the tea for stuff, with spells and stuff." Paige began, then looked to Phoebe. They had decided to take turns reporting the news to their sister, hoping to divide the shock between the two of them. Phoebe swallowed, looking directly at her.

"We ended up having to just write a spell to tell us what was in it. A variety of herbs, a mixture of small amounts of each."

"And then we had to figure out what those herbs were used for and everything..." Paige began, taking over before letting her voice fade. She looked toward Phoebe, who as the older of the two and closer to Piper, offered to deliver the news.

"Just tell me." Piper spoke stonily.

"Well..." Phoebe began. "Apparently, all those herbs have been used for centuries, usually as old remedies to help..." She searched for something to make it sound less final and severe than it was. "Stimulate contractions."

Piper looked at her, very plainly, her head cocking to the side as her eyes squinted in confusion. "What...what does that mean?"

"I think you know. It's nothing that would've hurt you, physically, at least...but..."

"Oh god." Piper's face went pale, tears filling her eyes as her hands immediately protectively covered her stomach. "Oh that son of a bitch!"

"Piper...come on, getting this worked up isn't good for the baby."

"You know what's not good for the baby, Phoebe??? Abortion!!" She yelled as she began to pace back and forth, tears now running down her face. "I'm going to kill him, I'm going to blow his ass so far out of this world, no one will ever..."

"Piper! Calm down, this isn't getting us anywhere. You need to rest, sleep, recollect. Talk to Leo and Chris and then, we'll go from there." Paige said, lightly grabbing her sister's forearms to stop her. Piper turned to them, the anger being replaced by fear.

"Phoebe...if I would've gotten up and gone by myself while you were in the bathroom, like I wanted...Chris, he...Phoebe!"

"I know...I know." She hugged her sister to her, letting her cry softly onto her shoulder for a few moments as she looked at Paige. They stared at one another, anger and resolve emboldening their features. They were going to stop Gideon, and now there was more motivation than just saving Wyatt. It appeared they had to save the other nephew as well.

Piper pulled away, wiping her face calmly. "But you're right. We have to calm down; we have to go about this calmly..." The anger was back though, the motherly fear driven away and not visibly present on her face any longer. She opened her mouth and threw her head back, and louder than the sisters had ever heard, called for Leo.

War, it seemed, had been declared and the Halliwell clan was ready to go.

-----

I hope it was worth the wait...the next chapter will take much less than a year's time, I promise :) Although it may be shorter...this was extra long, cause I felt bad...and cause I just got carried away. Anyway. Hope you enjoyed it!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews...I appreciate it more than you would know, especially from those who returned to reading after such a long time without any objection...you guys are awesome!!!

Disclaimer: Duh. Not mine. :)

* * *

"I just can't believe he would do something like that, Piper."

Leo couldn't look at his ex-wife's face though, out of fear for the angry look upon it. They all were in the attic, except for Chris. They had told him to wait downstairs; Piper had not wanted him to know what had almost happened. Thinking it alone, to herself, a false image of Chris' dying face in her mind as she drank whatever Gideon had put in her tea, was almost too much to handle. Having to see his face if he found out how close it had been to happening was something she wouldn't deal well with.

She was pissed, though.

She clenched her hands into fists, bringing them towards her face and blowing up an old armoire behind Leo, causing him to flinch. "I can. Phoebe saw it, Leo. Chris knows, has already warned us multiple times about him and you still can't believe us?"

"It would just mean him actually killing Chris. I just can't see..."

"Then you need to open your god damned eyes, Leo!"

He stood looking at her, mouth open in shock at her livid tone. She watched almost comically as his mouth opened and closed wordlessly, before a strangled sigh emerged.

"Fine. I'll...I'll talk to him."

"Well, what could you possibly say? _Piper thinks you tried to poison her to kill the baby_? And to add insult to injury, _we're pretty sure you're after Wyatt_?" She taunted.

"Piper..."

"He's not just going to admit it, Leo, Jesus!"

"You're being irrational."

"He tried to kill my son!"

"**What** is going on up here?!" Chris appeared at the top of the stairs as he entered the attic to find the 4 in a sort of discussion group. The only difference was, Piper and Leo didn't appear to be discussing anything; Piper seemed to be yelling and Leo was trying to calm her down.

"Chris, who's watching Wyatt? Go back downstairs, please." Piper began to explain calmly. Chris shook his head.

"No. I heard something crash and figured this is a pretty important conversation. Piper, whatever Gideon did, however bad, I need to know."

"No, you don't. Your father and I are taking care of it."

Chris stood silent for a moment, calming his nerves as he prepared to tell Piper everything he was feeling about her mothering. On one hand, he really wanted to give into it; but more than that, he wanted to fight it, not just to keep from losing her once more but because he had to stop Gideon. And that desire was going to make him say things he didn't completely mean.

"Piper. Listen to me and please, don't get mad." His face set stonily, his eyes fixed upon her and Leo stepped aside. He wanted to stop Chris from saying what he was going to say, but he couldn't; this was the only way Piper was going to understand.

"Piper, you aren't my mother. I mean, you are, physically, but you're not like, the one to take care of me. That woman..." He swallowed hard, eyes still set unwaveringly. "That woman has been dead a long time. And I miss her, _I love her_. I love you, too. But you're not her, so stop this. I need to know what's going on because if I don't, I can't be prepared. If I can't be prepared, then I can't stop what's going to happen. So stop it. And tell me what is going on."

Leo had to give her credit. She didn't move, she barely even blinked and tears didn't even fill her eyes. He noticed her slight hesitation, the strong swallow she took before clearing her throat.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay. Um. Okay." She ran her hand through her hair, biting her lip as she thought of what has happened. "Um, Pheobe and I were hanging out last night, while you and Leo were away, and Gideon slipped in and put something in my tea."

"What?" Chris looked from her to Leo. "What did he put in it?"

"Well. An herb that people used to use to have an abortion. You know, before...doctors...did it." She was waving her hand, stammering, avoiding Chris' face, but she looked as finished the sentence. "But I didn't drink it, obviously. Pheobe went to grab it for me, and had a premonition. We had to do some research, but that is what it was."

To Chris' credit, he merely paled. What couldn't be seen was the urge he fought to vomit, the sick feeling that overcame him. Paige and Pheobe had moved to the nursery to entertain Wyatt and Piper and Leo watched Chris, gauging his reaction.

He began to nod slowly. "Well. This is...this is actually good. Thank you, Piper. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

She gaped at him; that was the extent of his reaction? "Chris...how, how is that a good thing?"

He turned his attention to Leo. "Because it tells us that Gideon's getting nervous. I mean, being pushed to taint someone's food to kill an unborn child? That's pretty low."

"As much as I'm on our side, the other elders won't be. This is pure speculation---"

"Then we need to take care of it alone." Chris interrupted.

"But this is Gideon, an elder. A power of good, not evil." Leo argued, but now had merely a shred of confidence for the man.

"Dad, look. I know this is hard for you. I know, believe me, and you may think I'm just saying that. But I had to live the last 8 years with my big brother becoming the supreme evil ruler of the world. It was hard to accept, but you have to accept it. You can't save him, Dad. He tried to kill me, he wants to kill Wyatt. You have to stop him. For us."

Leo stared at his son for a few moments before replying quietly. "I know."

"Does that mean you believe us now?" Piper asked quietly.

Leo nodded. "I've always sort of believed you." Piper shot him a dubious look. "Well, kind of, sort of. But now...straw that breaks the camels back, I suppose. So, yeah I do. Let's figure this out, and get it all over with. I'm just gonna go; see if I can find out anything from anyone at magic school. I'll be back soon, though, and we'll work it out." He orbed out without saying anything else and Piper turned to Chris.

"And I'll get Paige and Pheobe to help with a power binding potion for him," Piper interjected, looking to Chris for approval. "Still going with that plan?"

"Sounds like we're finally getting somewhere." He replied softly, allowing a smile to slide onto his face to comfort her.

"Yeah...I bet you're pretty excited."

"Relieved. But yeah...um." He looked at the ground, pawing his feet around. With him and Piper alone in the attic, he was suddenly unsettled. He could tell she was being slightly frigid with him, and wanted to make things alright with her. "Can I...can I go downstairs, and make like a sandwich or something? I mean, I know it's late, but I didn't realize how hungry I was all of a sudden."

"Chris, you don't need to ask my permission to go get something to eat. Remember? You're a grown man."

Evidence of slight bitterness crept into her tone and he flushed. "I didn't mean it like that. And plus, it is your kitchen..."

"This is your house too Chris. Just make sure to clean up after you're done." She began to walk toward the attic stairs, heading to talk to her sisters when he called after her.

"You want to come down with me?"

She raised an eyebrow. The man who had so adamantly told her that she was _**not**_ his mother, pretty much insinuated that she had no right to mother him, was now looking at her curiously, trying to get her to spend time with him. He was so hard to understand.

"Sure. Let me go talk to Paige and Pheobe and I'll meet you down there."

She made her way into the nursery, where she found one sister asleep already in the rocking chair and another dozing as she sat in another seat, watching over the sleeping infant. Piper smiled and leaned against the doorway.

"I really think you guys are losing your edge."

Both started at the sound of her voice and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry...it's just been a long night." Pheobe said, rising from her position in the chair. Piper smiled wryly, shaking her head.

"Ugh, tell me about it."

"Yeah, seriously." Paige straightened up. "What was that all about up there? We figured you'd need to talk about what he said..."

Piper shook her head. "Actually, that's not really it. I mean, yeah, it upset me, but I just need to let him do his thing. I mean, he wants me to go hang out with him in the kitchen cause he's hungry, so I think I'm just gonna let him lead and let me do as much as he wants me too. I was actually coming in here though to see if you guys would mind looking into that binding spell for Gideon."

"Tomorrow right?" Pheobe asked, cocking an eyebrow in question. "Cause, it's like almost 4 in the morning."

Piper rolled her eyes. "_First thing_ tomorrow. I know it's been a rough night, but we really need to prepare and get this taken care of, before I get any bigger."

"Well on that note then, I am heading to bed." Pheobe rose quickly, eager to make it to her room and Paige followed. She stopped at the door though, placing a hand on her older sisters' arm.

"Not to be a worrywart, but shouldn't you get to bed soon too? I mean, I know you're not all fragile and everything, but...I mean, you are pregnant."

"I know, but I'm gonna go sit with him for a few minutes. A few minutes won't hurt. Maybe I can get through a little bit."

"Well, good luck with that." Paige said with a raise of her eyebrows. Piper watched as her sisters walked to their respective rooms before smiling and shaking her head as she headed downstairs.

Chris was sitting in the kitchen, half his sandwich already gone as he munched quietly to himself. Piper fought the urge to merely observe and walked to him at the island in the middle of the kitchen, leaning on the edge.

"PB&J?"

"Mmhmm." He said with a nod, taking a swig of milk to wash it down. When he cleared his throat, he set it down and wiped his mouth. "Do you want a bite?"

"No, I'm good." She said with a chuckle. "Are...are you okay, though?"

He bit the inside of his lip. "I was gonna ask you the same thing. I mean...I meant what I said up there Piper. But I didn't mean it to hurt you. I just needed you to realize that I'm a grown guy, that doesn't need to be sheltered and protected."

"I know." She avoided his eyes; she hadn't expected on the conversation going right to what he had said earlier. "It didn't hurt my feelings."

He raised an eyebrow, obviously not convinced and she realized how silly her statement sounded. Of course it hurt her feelings.

"Okay, well fine. It did, but I understand."

Again, he raised his eyebrow and looked at her uncertainly. She sighed; he read her so easily!

"Ok, well...I just wanted to make sure everything was okay. I don't want you feel bad, and I can tell something else is bothering you." He waited a few moments, and then shrugged. "But if you don't want to talk about it, it's cool. We can figure out the game plan for Gideon instead..."

She interrupted him, wanting to keep him talking about them. This was completely unlike Chris; to be talking about their relationship or family dynamic and she wanted to sort something out.

"The only thing is...you get along so well with your dad. You call him Dad, you're so close..." She shrugged, almost bashful. "I guess I'm just a little jealous, if not confused."

He chuckled. "Well, he has known about me a few months more. And I only called him Dad when I was pretty much dying, and he came. In my future, we didn't have the greatest relationship, so that was pretty big for me. But with you and me in the future? We were so close...I just..." He faded off, shaking his head.

"You can't be that close with me, now. I understand." She smiled at him, letting him know it really was okay. "I just can't believe how well you can read me."

He finished the remnants of his sandwich and carried the plate to the sink. "Like I said, you and I were pretty close. I was always kind of a momma's boy." He shrugged, hands in back pockets. "But yeah. That was then, I guess. Um...hey, I wanted to ask, before I go upstairs...is it okay with you if I hang around the house tomorrow, just kind of lay low?"

"I told you Chris, it's your house too. But I would've expected you to want to help out your dad or aunts."

"Oh I do. I figure if anything I can help the aunts with the potion. But I figure if I've been getting close enough to Gideon to make him try and...you know," He gestured toward her, not wanting to actually voice what had almost happened to his unborn self. "I figure I should kind of back off, maybe put him off the trail."

"Probably a good idea."

They both turned to see Leo standing behind Piper, his face weary. "I did a little investigating of Gideon's chambers, I don't know where he is, but as I was snooping around in his library, I was able to dig out an old herbal remedy book and one of the pages showed it had been dog-eared. It was pretty much tell tale of what happened earlier."

Chris shook his head. "Son of a bitch."

Piper decided against chiding his language. "Why don't you just go up and get some rest? We'll worry about this all tomorrow...we're all a little exhausted."

He didn't object, just nodded and turned to leave, muttering his goodnights to his parents. It left them standing alone in the kitchen and with Piper's anger gone, all that was left was fear and sorrow and she found comfort in the arms of her ex-husband.

"It's gonna be okay, Piper. We'll make sure nothing happens to either of them." Leo assured, rubbing her back.

No tears had fallen, but she shook her head. "I know, I'm just worried. And going on almost 20 hours of being awake probably doesn't help. Let's just go to bed, please?"

"I think that sounds like a pretty good idea."

There was nothing really left to say between the two, both of their minds worried about what seemed to be a thousand different things. Leo hooked his arm around her and walked with her up the stairs, before entering their room for a long, restful sleep.

------

"We have to take things to the next level."

Fire sparked behind the elder, illuminating the outline of his figure in the dark. Lytus and Barbas stood in front of him as he vented out his frustrations about the young witchlighter that was close to uncovering his secret. As he would stomp back and forth, they would roll their eyes and hold in a sigh, because when it came down to it, they knew they all wanted the same end result.

"What do you suggest, then?" Lytus asked finally. Gideon stopped and stalked to him.

"Well, isn't it obvious? I want him dead, flat out attack him and kill him!"

"We've tried that already though, Gideon. I'm sure you remember sending Tristan after him."

"I knew Tristan's arrow wouldn't kill him, you idiot. And I knew Leo would heal him, I just wanted to discourage him. Death would have been a bonus." He snapped. "But you're correct; we need a grander plan, something that will most definitely get the job done."

"I have an idea." Barbas chimed in, his smile ominous. "And it will kill two birds with one stone."

-------

10 am came sooner than anyone in Halliwell household would've preferred. Piper awoke begrudgingly, running on nothing but 5 and a half hour's of sleep, and cursed her internal clock for not letting her sleep longer.

She lumbered downstairs, muttering grouchily along the way. She arrived in the kitchen, deciding to cook up some pancakes and eggs to ease irritated nerves. The smell must have awakened the others in the house, and beckoned others who were already up.

Paige came first, t-shirt and jeans thrown on and hair up messily atop her head. "Something smells good!"

"Just some breakfast." Piper answered with a smile. Paige raised an eyebrow.

"For what army?" Piper just gave her a look and Paige threw up her arms in defense, shuffling around the kitchen. "I'm just down to get some supplies. Pheobe and I have been working on that spell for the past hour."

"Getting anywhere?"

Paige shrugged. "I mean, it's hard. He's an elder, it's going to be complicated, but we're getting there. Chris said he'd be up later, so he'll be able to help."

"Well, at least take some pancakes up with you, maybe some bacon."

"Don't have to tell me twice." She was already piling some food on the plate, and with a happy lift of the plate and a grin, she was out of the kitchen and on her way to the attic.

Leo was next, stopping in to grab a few pieces of bacon before letting her know he was going to get an early start on where Gideon was and who was helping him. He surely couldn't be working alone, and cutting off some of his resources would be the next smart move.

Chris came down at last, his hair a mess and yawning, a sure sign he had gotten the rest he had needed. The pancakes had chilled, the eggs weren't as good as they were fresh, but Piper didn't mind that he had slept in. She actually preferred it, and swallowed the motherly urge to playfully chastise him.

"Hey." He rasped. "Morning...mmm. Looks good."

"Tastes good too. What would you like?"

"Pancakes." He replied with a small smile. She dished him out some, sliding the syrup to him as he took it and gratuitously poured what he wanted on them. She rolled her eyes.

"I shiver to think of the dentist bills."

He chuckled and grinned at her before digging in. "No bills. Just Dad."

"Oh well, good to know he's good for something." She joked, throwing a dishtowel onto the counter. "I'm gonna go change real quick, so try not to inhale the entire pancake and choke before I get back."

He tried to say something back, but she couldn't make out the words due to the chunk of food in his mouth, but chuckled and kept going. She wasn't long either, throwing on a simple t-shirt and jeans on before making her way back down.

But that was her downfall; her relaxed, unassuming attitude got the best of her, and soon she found herself at the foot of the stairs, an invisible force pinning her arms down at her side. She squirmed, trying to use her mind to somehow target the force behind her, but a warm breath hit her neck and she stopped.

"Ah, ah, ah, Piper. Wouldn't want to struggle and hurt the baby now, would we?"

_Demon._ "You bastard." She growled, trying to struggle out of the grip. She stopped as he dropped his transparent disguise and an athame tip made its way to the curve of her belly.

"One more erratic move and this is going to get a lot messier than either of us want."

"What do you want?" Her tone was frantic and almost hysterical as she realized the trouble she was in.

"Me."

Her head shot in the direction of Chris, standing in the doorway of the kitchen, staring at her as the blood drained from his face. He didn't even notice Tristan shimmer in behind him, just stared at her. "They want me to come with them, without fighting back."

"Chris, get out of here, it's a trap!" She yelled. The demon who had taken her to the underworld before applied pressure to the athame; not enough to draw blood, but enough to hurt and she cried out in fear.

Tristan took advantage of Chris' worried state and summoned his crossbow, as well as wrapping his left arm around Chris' neck as he held the arrow at Chris' side. "Oh come on...we're just gonna go on a little field trip."

"Mom?" Chris asked weakly, and she could see a glimmer of a lost boy staring back at her.

_He called me mom!_ she thought, her heart breaking. He was scared, for her and for himself, and had no idea what to do. She could only imagine that he was probably reliving when she died in the future. He was looking at her, begging her to make it better with his eyes, asking her what he should do and her heart broke more as she realized she didn't know what to do anymore than he did.

"Mom...get dad, okay? Find me, but protect Wy...Ah!" He hissed in pain as Tristan twisted his wrist to a breaking point. "Mom, please. Don't fight them, please."

He was begging her, a mask of fear and worry shadowing his face and Piper wished to whatever God existed that she could kill the two men in the room right now. She felt the demon nod behind her and watched as Tristan shimmered out with him. "No!"

The demon laughed in her ear. "I guess we'll be seeing you again soon." He rasped, shimmering out almost immediately after the dark lighter. Piper was left alone, tears filming her eyes as she stood staring at the spot he had just been.

Her mind was racing; how did such a wonderful morning turn so not wonderful? And what was she supposed to do now? She knew she should call for Leo, call for someone, but the words wouldn't come. Her body was rigid, fear and uncertainty coursing through her body, uncharacteristically paralyzing her. But these were her children they were messing with now, her boys. How could she not be paralyzed?

"Piper? Piper, what happened? Piper where's Chris?" Paige appeared in front of her, taking in the sight of her eldest sister and immediately fearing the worst. "Piper?!"

"The demon who took me a few months ago. And...and a darklighter...they took him...oh god, Paige, they took him and I...oh god..." She was rambling, running her hand through her hair. "We have to get Leo, Paige, we have to get Leo!"

------


	11. Chapter 11

A.N: Sorry for the delay guys! It was a crazy summer and the school year thus far's been a little rough-almost done with college though, so yay! Anyway, that, and I've been sidetracked a little with other stories, but I figured I should get around to finishing this story before the next decade, so yeah. Here's a new chapter for ya, and there will probably only be like one more and maybe an epilouge, so it's actually almost done! Who's excited? Mmmm, that'd be me. So I hope you all enjoy this and have a great day otherwise:)

Disclaimer: Usual-not mine.

* * *

_This is not good._

Chris awoke and opened his eyes, squinting at the dull ache in the back of his head. The last thing he remembered was shimmering from the manor and appearing in some area of the underworld, right before he was knocked unconscious.

_**So** a 180 degree opposite of good. Really, **Really bad**._

His hand went to the back of his head, as he felt the growing lump at it's base and he emitted a small groan involuntarily. Although it was dark, he made out a figure in his sight. Wanting to escape before they knew he had woken up, he began to orb and rise through the air.

And hit something. He bounced back down, materlizing with a slight yelp and hit the ground. He realized he was trapped, in a box that was not going to allow him to escape, especially with the use of magic.

"Well, look who's up." The voice was followed by a laugh as the figure grew closer and a near by spout of lava and flames illuminated his face and Chris realized he was staring at the dark lighter who had shot him weeks earlier. He jerked back, plastering his back against the rock wall, even though he knew if the man wanted to kill him, it would be all too easy.

"Aw, I think he's afraid of you Tristan." The electric demon showed up again, his voice singsong and taunting, and Chris felt rage as he pictured his mother's fear filled face.

"I swear, if you hurt her..."

"You'll do what? Break out of that box and kill me?" He taunted. "Unlikely, half breed. Besides, you'd know if I had hurt her, wouldn't you?"

Chris didn't give him the satisfaction of an answer and merely scowled back at the demon. He slumped back, realizing there was nothing he could really do but wait. His thoughts immediately traveled to Piper.

Realization had set in. The thing he didn't want to accept her as, to see her as, he finally did. She was his mother, in every way. He saw the fear for her baby in her eyes when the demon held the athame at her belly, saw the fear for him in her eyes as she realized what was happening to him, and he realized that he couldn't keep fighting it. He allowed himself, for the first time since he'd been here, to need her; to need her to tell him it would be okay, to need her to make it better. As much as it terrified him, he had seen her face as he said it and realized she needed it as much as he did.

He closed his eyes tightly. He had to wait until they found him, until they rescued him, because he knew-at least, he hoped-it would happen soon.

-----

"This is not good."

Piper stared at her sister. "Thank you, Paige, for stating the obvious."

"Piper." Pheobe softly admonised her sister, her head still stuck in the Book.

"I know, I'm sorry." Piper apologized, waving her hand and changing the subject. "How is the spell coming along?"

"It's done. It's good to go." Pheobe began. "But it's a power of three spell..."

"So?" She asked. When the other three looked at each other, then at her, trying to decide what to tell her, she began shaking her head. "I'm going down with you."

"Piper, I don't think that's a good idea. What if they target the baby again?" Leo asked. Piper frowned.

"The baby, is who we're trying to save Leo. Besides, you leave me here with Wyatt...I mean, that's what this is. A diversion. Chris said it when they took him-protect Wyatt. If I'm the only one with Wyatt, they'll attack me to get to him. And with being pregnant, I don't want to risk it alone."

"But that still seems the more logical option."

"Well, fine. Let me put it simply for you then. I'm going. You need the power of three and I want to go help him. I need it, Leo. I'm going." Her face became stone like and brooked no room for argument. He sighed and nodded.

"Okay, okay. We'll all go. And when we're down there, you make sure that spell gets said and his powers are gone."

"And then what?" Pheobe asked. "I mean, you're not gonna kill him, or anything. So are you gonna trap him or what?"

Leo sighed. He understood he couldn't kill Gideon, but if it came to it, to protect his boys...he would do anything. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. But we're gonna do what we have to."

-----

"So. Read any good books lately?" Chris asked, completely at random. It had been a few hours since he had awakened to his difficult situation, and by now, the ringlead of the entire operation had shown up. Gideon shot him a withering glance at his caustic question.

"Shut up you."

"Hey. I'm just trying to make some innocent conversation. Say, here's a kicker. Why are you, of all people, after Wyatt? I mean, did it ever occur to you that trying to kill him would probably give him not so great outlooks of the powers of good and evil? I mean, if the people who were supposed to be good were trying to kill him..."

"Do I sense a bitterness in your voice, Chris?" Gideon turned and stalked to the magical cage where Chris sulked inside, his tone holding a bit of amusement behind it. Chris bristled.

"You're damn right you do!"

"So much of a concentration of power is much too dangerous to allow in the world, Christopher. Surely, you know that from your future experiances."

"Don't even think of going there, Gideon."

"Oh cut the dramatics, Christopher..."

"Oh I'm dramatic?" He was fuming, wanting to lash out in anyway possible to the elder, then realized something.

Gideon was _playing_ with him.

A bemused expression graced the older man's features and Chris relaxed, something inside refusing to give him the satisfaction. Able to observe the altered demeanor, Gideon dismissed Chris from his mind and quickly turned, calling for Barbas. Chris again slumped against the rock walll and slid down, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. It was never going to end.

No sooner has he thought this did he detect a familiar presence that he couldn't see. Whoever it was must have seen him cock his head curiously, because he heard a whisper come from near the backside of the magical barrier.

"Hey. Chris."

"Dad!" He whispered furiously, keeping it as low as possible. Gideon seemed so engrossed in conversation with his constituants, he wasn't paying attention. Chris took the opportunity to shuffle loudly and groan with irritation. It worked; Gideon and his minions turned to glare at him as he acted as if he were positioning himself to curl up and try and sleep, playing off that he wasn't seeing them stare at him.

With his back to them, he heard them start talking again, and facing where his father's voice came from, stared at the empty space. "Dad, what..."

"Shhh. Not so much talking. I'm under a cloaking spell, so they don't know I'm here yet. Your aunts and mom are somewhere around."

Chris had to bite his tongue to control an objection from escaping his lips. He ignored the copper taste of blood and swallowed. "Mom's here? Who's watching Wyatt?"

"They have to all be here for the power binding spell to work. Because he's such a powerful wizard, they have to be near for it to be more effective. Wyatt's with your grandfather and they are in a secure, hidden location. Don't worry too much about him, we've got that covered..."

"This is a trap, you know." He whispered, almost fearfully. He heard Leo sigh and for once, yearned to feel his father's hand on his shoulder.

"Of course. But we have to get you out, don't we? You know we can't leave you here." He paused. "Magical entrapment?"

"Yep."

"Okay." Leo sighed again, and although Chris couldn't see him, he smiled softly, comforted in knowing the expression on his father's face was one of deep thought. "I'm gonna go get your mom and the sisters. Sit tight kiddo."

"I'm not a kiddo." Chris muttered, but the prescence had eased off already and he was left in his cage, alone, and most definitely unable to rest.

A few minutes of restlessness passed and, almost as if Gideon knew the manor was empty, he dismissed Barbas and Lytus to go looking above ground. Almost immediately, he saw his father materialize. Gideon didn't bat an eye.

"I was wondering when you would show yourself."

"Let him go."

"Oh yes, because I'm sure that I set all of this up to just let him go." Gideon said calmly, a look of amusement on his face. He quickly conjured a pair of chairs and a cross bow appeared in Tristan's hands. Chris and Leo eyed it warily. "Sit, please, Leo and we can talk this out. Maybe I can get you to see reason."

"And if I don't? There is no reason to this Gideon. Just let me take my son and go."

Without orders, the darklighter raised the weapon, aiming it at Leo, but resisting to fire. "No!" Chris yelled from his corner. Gideon smirked again.

"Yes, listen to your son Leo. Because if it seems that you appear...unwavering, fully 100, well then..." He gestured to the darklighter. "Some must be sacrificed. For the greater good."

"Even an innocent baby?"

"Anyone. Even those most trusted." Gideon said simply. Leo heard no reserve or emotion in his tone and decided to sit.

Chris slumped against the cave wall again, the fear in his gut lessening though it remained still. He had no idea what would happen to his father, as he sat with Gideon and the darklighter. His only comfort were the occasional stints of eye contact Leo would make, trying to assure him it was going to be okay.

"Chris?" A whisper came from behind him again and he turned toward the familiar voice. His aunt sat, hidden in the shadows, a small, reassuring smile on her face. "How you holding up?"

"What are you doing here in sight?!" He exclaimed in a sharp whisper. She rolled her eyes, further aggravating him, but he stiffled it.

"Your mom and Phoebe are hidden over there," She gestured to a spot well away from Gideon and his father. "I"m just here to let you know we have the spell for Gideon and we cast one to get you out of this cage. See?"

She poked her hand to him, and he opened his mouth to object, but her hand passed smoothly over where the barrier had been and touched him softly on the leg. He relaxed back softly. "So what now?" He whispered.

"I'm gonna go back over there, and we'll cast the spell. When we drop the guard, you'll know the spell is cast."

"How will we know if it worked?" He asked worriedly. Her face got nervous and her eyes began to fidget.

"We'll have to hope it does." She replied with a shrug. "If it doesn't go well...well. The first thing you have to do is get your mother out of here."

"And you and Pheobe and Dad?"

"You just worry about Piper, we'll worry about the rest."

He opened his mouth to object, but she shook her head and orbed away. He decided all he could do was relax; Gideon and his cronies didn't know he was free yet, but he would bet money his dad did. He stretched his legs out inconspicuously to test the boundaries once more and found himself able. He sighed, and it was only a few seconds longer did his aunt's and mother suddenly appear in the dark recesses of the cave, drawing attention of the darklighter remaining, who turned on them.

"Hey!" Chris screamed from his corner, orbing out as he drew the attention of all in the cave. He appeared next to the rest of the family, unable to suppress a cocky grin on his face.

"Well, well...look at the family reunion." Gideon spat, sauntering up next to the darklighter, whose arrow's aim never moved from the group of 4. Leo sat behind, watching cautiously, prepared to do anything to fight for his family.

"I think we've all had enough of the cliche one liners." Phoebe snapped back, and Piper flicked her wrists at the darklighter, who exploded with a scream. Gideon didn't start, for his credit, and his calmness worried Chris. He saw his father's eyes scan the area, while his mother and her sisters just glared at Gideon.

"You did it right?" Chris whispered, low enough for only Pheobe to hear. She nodded to him slightly, and with that, he began to tread backwards always keeping his eyes on Gideon. His mother and aunts glanced back only for a moment quizzically then understood; he wanted to create a larger barrier, surrounding Gideon so that it would be them against him, on the edge of the ledge. Chris knew his father couldn't kill anyone for the consequences he would suffer, and really, all they needed was for Gideon to back down.

That didn't seem to be what Gideon had in mind. Suddenly, demons appeared from all direction, surrounding and outnumbering the charmed ones and Chris. His stomach knotted with nerves, but his face remained reserved. He wanted to grab his mother and orb her out but he knew she would have none of it. The look on their faces said it all; they had faced a whole lot worse than this, with a lot lesser stakes.

Things began intensely from the start, there was no build up. And although he had grown up with them, spent 14 years of his life with them, he was forever amazed at the way the three of them moved together, as if they always knew what another was doing. They were the Charmed Ones and they proved it.

He was throwing people into walls, his mother was vanquishing them with flicks of her wrists, his aunts were doing what they did best and they seemed to be making it an even fight. He kept throwing quick glances at his father to make sure everything seemed to be going okay. He could see Leo making his way slowly to where Gideon was, backing him to the edge. Gideon still maintained his cavalier assuredness, a clear sign that he was not yet aware of his disability.

"Pheobe!" He yelled to his left, only loud enough for his aunt to hear. She turned, throwing a back kick into the face of a demon and pushing him into Piper's sight. He screamed as he burst into nothing.

"A little busy right now Chris!!"

"Do something to stop him. Figure out a way...whip up a spell, you're good at it." He threw an arm off to the side and sent a demon flying into the wall with a scream and a sharp crack of his head.

"But I..."

"Improvise!"

And he was gone. Phoebe decided to turn her attention to the two near the cliffs edge and was struck with an idea. She knew this was going to have to end with something dire; Gideon was not going to give in.

In the mean time, Chris was backed into a corner of the rock wall, two against one and he was getting tired. He was used to fighting wars and this was hitting just as hard as any of the battles of the rebellion he launched against Wyatt. But something was giving him an extra push; if they could pull this off, he'd never have to fight a battle against his brother like that ever again.

A demon exploded into dust in front of his eyes and his mother stood behind him, hands up. She smirked.

"No one messes with my kid."

"You probably wouldn't be surprised to know that doesn't change in the future." He commented back wryly with a grin. It was a brief moment of calm in the craziness. It didn't last long.

He didn't even have time to react as the demon shimmered in behind his mother. He pulled an athame out quickly and stabbed her lower back before Chris could react. When he did, he threw his arm away so fiercly, the man flew high in the air, cracking his head and falling lifelessly on the ground.

"Mom!" Chris rushed to her, as she lowered herself to the ground.

"I'm okay, i'm okay..." She gasped. "It's not...not real bad."

Her face was brave, but the blood began to puddle beneath the wound. His hand immediately went to it to apply pressure and calm the bleeding, and he apologized as she cried out quietly in pain.

"I'm getting Dad--" He said, turning his head to yell. She reached up and turned his face back.

"No! No, as long...as long as your okay...you know." She gestured to her belly and him, and suddenly, he felt a stab of worry. She was only scarcely 7 months along and with the stress of the wound, it could cause pre-term labor which the baby-_him, really-_wouldn't be able to survive. Even worse, the stress and blood loss could affect the baby and kill it in utero. Chris wanted neither scenario to play out, but even less, he didn't want to relive that day that happened 8 years before for him.

"But I don't want..."

"I won't. If it starts to get bad, if _you _feel anything. you yell for him." She was breathing short between the pain of the wound in her back, but she was truly not in fatal danger. He didn't trust it enough though. Tears brimmed in his eyes and hyperventilation was coming on.

"I can't...I can't do this aga--" he began to gasp.

Chris was interrupted though. The ground beneath him began to shake and the rock walls began to rain pebbles around them. He bent over her, shielding her from the debris.

"I'm sorry I was horrible, and mean, and I'm sorry. I love you and I need you, Mom, so..."

"Chris, I'm gonna be fine, it's gonna be fine." She was saying the words softly, rubbing his side, and he could see the pain in her face from the wound._ If he could only heal!_ "How are you holding up?"

The truth was, he was getting a little woozy but he'd never admit it until it was almost too late. He opened his mouth to reply but the quake stopped, interrupting his train of thought. His eyes immediately went to the cliffs ledge as he searched for his father, wanting to make sure everything was okay, and wondering if maybe this was the answer to what he had urged Pheobe to do.

"What is it? What happened?" Piper asked.

Chris could see Leo at the ledge, a little shorter than what it had been. He was kneeling, looking down his hand at his mouth and serious expression on his face. Gideon was nowhere to be seen, and in his blurry peripherals, he could see his aunt's emerging from their hiding spot. He sighed in relief.

"I...I think it's over." Chris said, his stomach turning as the thought overwhelmed him. "I think it's all over."

And then, the cave went black

-----


	12. Chapter 12

AN: Thanks again for all the reviews guys, you're awesome:) We're nearing the finish line of a long, long race here, and I would like to thank all the readers who came back after the year I didn't update, as well as thank the new readers I gained. You guys are such a big part of why we write here at and we just love to get these plot bunnies out of our skulls. lol oh well...on with the next chapter :) 

Disclaimer: Same as before, not mine...

* * *

Chris opened his eyes slowly, a dull throb residing at the back of his skull. A tension headache was all it was, he knew, but he wondered for a moment how he had ended up on the couch in the Manor's living room.

And why was it daylight?

He shot upright and immediately regretted it as his vision swam in front of him. He panicked almost; there was no one around it seemed, and he worried, for a split second, if something had gone horribly wrong. Was he even where he was supposed to be?

"You're up!" His fathers' relieved cry came from the kitchen and Leo suddenly appeared beside him, grasping him in a tight hug.

"Oxygen. Necessary." He gasped. Leo let go of him at that and he was shocked to see a film of tears in his father's eyes. "What's wrong?"

"We thought...we didn't know..." He shuddered at all the horrible things they had thought. "You're mother's at the doctor right now getting checked out, cause we thought that something might be wrong..."

"How long---"

"12, 13 hours. Long hours." Leo breathed. "But you're okay."

"You might want to let Mom know that."

"I can't just orb into the office, Chris. Besides, her appointment was at 8, when the office opened. She should be home soon."

"She didn't have an appointment this morning."

"Yeah, well," Leo grinned. "You're mother can be extremely persuasive when it involves her family."

Chris rubbed his eyes, his exhausting subsiding quickly. "What time is it?"

"Almost 9. Here, let me get you some water." Leo rose from the coffee table he was sitting on and made his way to the kitchen. Chris swung his legs over the side of the sofa so he was sitting straight and hung his head in hands with a side. His headache had ebbed for the most part, but he still rubbed his eyes.

Leo appeared quickly, handing the glass to Chris, who took it. He didn't truly realize how thirsty he was until the coolness hit his lips. He gulped more than half before setting it down.

"Ah. Wow. Thanks." He wiped his mouth and Leo sat across from him, watching. "What happened down there, Dad? I mean, I remember the quake..."

"Nice touch, by the way." Leo remarked dryly. Chris flushed.

"I didn't tell her to do that..."

"Yes, well. Thank god you gave her the idea. The ground under Gideon gave way as he tried to orb out. He won't be an issue any more." Leo fell quiet and looked the floor.

"I'm sorry it had to come to that." Chris said softly.

"Me too." Leo nodded as he raised his head. "It's for the best though. You did what you came here to do, right?"

Chris was silent for a moment. "Well...I hope."

Leo's eyebrows furrowed. "Hope?"

"What if it doesn't work? What if...it doesn't change anything?"

"You said, when you were sick, you saw Wyatt on the dream plane." Leo said carefully. He didn't want Gideon's death to be in vain, to have been wrong. He had no problem choosing to defend his sons in the face of that threat, but if there had been another way to deal with him without him killing, Leo would've rather explored that venture.

"I did. He was the threat, Dad, don't worry. But what if there's someone else, that will turn him?"

"Something tells me that's not what's really bothering you..." Leo began to say, ready to try and figure out what Chris was truly fearful of. He was interrupted, however, as the three sisters entered the home.

"Well, Leo," Piper began before she actually saw him, taking off her coat near the door. "You'll be relieved to know the baby is fine, so who knows what's wrong--"

She rounded the corner and saw Chris, sitting up, glass of water in hand as his father sat across from him. Her face froze before relief quickly washed over it. "Oh thank _god_." She breathed, hurrying over. Leo stepped up and away, walking over to Paige and Pheobe and gesturing them to follow him into the other room, leaving mother and son alone.

On the couch, Piper grabbed him in a hard embrace. "You really gave us a scare."

"I'm sorry, I should've called for Dad..."

"It's okay, don't apologize. Besides, everything seemed fine until you...jesus, though, I swear I've never been so scared in my life."

"I'm sorry." He repeated. She smiled somewhat wistfully and ruffled his hair affectionately, placing a kiss on the top of it as she rose.

"Well, you've been out since almost 9 last night, and who knows when your last meal before that was. How about I make you some breakfast or something, and we'll talk about it more if you want?"

"Sounds amazing. I can help." He pushed himself up and followed her into the kitchen, where he found his father and aunts in serious discussion. They stopped as he entered the room, and the aunts rose to greet him, relieved he wasn't hurt. After a few exchanged "We we're worried's" and "All that matter's", Leo turned to him.

"Our talk isn't over though Chris. You're mom's making this great meal, but we are going to discuss this later, as a family."

His aunts and mother had no idea what Leo was talking about, but Chris did. He swallowed hard; his dad was right. It wasn't really that he was worried about Wyatt being good or evil; he was pretty sure that was safe territory. It was the world he was going back to that made him nervous, a world unfamiliar to him when it was supposed to be his safe world.

As the thoughts raced through his mind, he nodded. He could see them all studying him, waiting for an answer, so with a sigh and a lick of his lips, he finally spoke.

"Okay Dad. Okay."

----

A sense of ambivalence had filled the room as the discussion continued. His parents wanted to make sure, without a doubt, that the future he was returning to was safe. They knew they couldn't risk bringing someone back from the future-that would just completely mess with the future even worse than this had. They could cast a spell to see the future but even that was tricky and risky. Going to the future seemed the only way to know for sure, but even that was dangerous because if they hadn't succeeded, Chris would be killed on the spot for sure.

"But you said, that Wyatt came to you, in that dream. That you guys had a connection..." Phoebe questioned. Chris shrugged.

"I know, but...there will be others that try and get to him. What if it's just the destiny for him? To be that?"

"It's not." Piper replied firmly. "Both of my children are good, are meant for good things." She stopped for a moment. "But, if there is even a minute chance that you're right, I don't want you going back."

"I'll go with you, then come right back." Leo offered. "I need to make sure you'll be alright anyway."

Chris looked at him, and nodded lightly. He felt his throat almost close, felt his eyes prick and he swallowed hard. He looked away.

"We'll be there on the other side, you know." Paige said softly. "Waiting. We'll remember this day, and we'll be waiting for you."

"I know." He nodded. "So what now?"

"Well, now, we enjoy the time we have left with you until you leave tomorrow. Cause you're lucky; you get to go see us immediately. We have to wait a few months to see you again."

"Only 2." He grinned slightly. "I'm a little early, just to let you know."

"Oh, well, thanks for that." She laughed. "Well, what's your favorite dish? I'll make whatever you want tonight for dinner."

"You just cooked this big meal this morning, though." He replied. She raised an eyebrow.

"A 21 year old young man can't eat 2 big meals in one day?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Of course I can. I just...feel bad for you doing all the work."

"Nonsense." She lightly chastised. "You know cookings what I do when I'm..." She waved her hand to explain what she didn't want to put into words.

He nodded."Fine, fine, if that's what you want." He paused, thinking. "Anything?"

There was a gleam in his eye and she squinted in curiousity. "Yeah, anything."

"Roast Chicken. Peeled potatoes, gravy, corn. Chocolate cake for dessert?" He asked.

"Oh, is that all?" She laughed. "No problem. Well, it's almost 2...how about we plan for 7:30?"

Her expression seemed hopeful, but her eyes told everything. She was afraid for him, wanting to play along with her perfect little family ideal, wanting to keep it perfect for just this much longer. Not wanting to let go, yet unable to hang on.

"I want to talk to him alone, you know, one on one, father son." Leo whispered to her as they all went their separate ways, he following her into the kitchen. She looked at him over her shoulder.

"If he wants to." She replied with a shrug.

"It won't be for too long---"

"Hon, it's fine." She said with a smile. "I know you two are close, that you need to say your goodbyes. But remember that I need to too."

"Oh don't worry, I don't think he'd leave without that either." He leaned down on an impulse and kissed her. "This is gonna work out, Piper."

"I know." She leaned against him, her back to his chest with a sigh. "I mean, it has so far...right?"

----------

The sun shined bright in the sky above the Golden Gate Bridge, the water of the bay twinkling like diamonds in jewelry store. Chris stood there on the edge, balancing vicariously as he began to walk back and forth as if on a balance beam.

"Be careful," Leo warned. Chris raised his head, mischief dancing in his eyes. He dangled a foot over, earning a reproving look from his father, before hopping off onto the platform he father sat on, 10 feet from him.

"Well. Let' s get on with it." Chris said softly.

"I know you're scared, Chris."

"No offense Dad, but you really can't. What if we're wrong?"

"You're not. You did it. You. And if you didn't, I swear to god, we will get you back, safe and sound."

"He'll come after us."

"He won't get through."

They stared at each other. "I know you're not scared of him, Chris. I know that that is not what you're so afraid of."

Chris frowned. This new relationship with Leo was only bad for one thing; lying to him was near impossible. He sighed. "What if it's different? What if something happens? What if..."

"You can't hide from it Chris. You knew that."

"I wasn't expecting you to be, for us to be...like this. I wanted to get here and fix things. I didn't even think..." He trailed off, shaking his head.

"Didn't even think what?" Leo asked softly. Chris had turned away from him, his head hung and stayed silent. "Chris?"

His back was still turned as he answered. "You were never there, in my future. It made it so much easier to worry about myself and my own well being and the well being of everyone else. It didn't hurt to leave when I came back here, because there was no one to leave." He turned and Leo saw tears shining in his eyes. "I come here, and I swear, I didn't even want to tell you who I was. I thought...knew, really, how it would feel with the aunts, with mom, but I never thought that you loving me like this was gonna make this so hard."

"I will be there this time. I will learn from that." Leo vowed. Chris shook his head.

"I'm not worried about that. There are so many people that I knew, that may or may not have died because of what was happening. What if, in this future, I've changed things too much? What if I don't know them, or what if they don't even exist?"

"If you and Bianca are meant to be, you will be, Chris." Leo remarked, earning a sideways look from his son.

"You read me too well."

"Well, you are my son."

"It's not just Bianca." Chris said softly. "There's others. Others that have died. What if they're alive and well? How do I adjust to the change? It's just scary, is all. I don't want people to know what used to be."

"The unknown is terrifying, Christopher. But nevertheless, I'm sure it's worth it. If anything, I'll stay with you for awhile. My future self will remember this, so he'll understand. Just to help you through it until your new memories and these memories merge."

"I don't know why I'm worried." He scoffed. "I mean, this is what I came to do. This. And we did it, and now I'm nervous. Especially if some things that I wanted to change don't." He paused, afraid to admit his fear but unable to contain it. "Like Mom."

"It will be well. I will make sure, I promise, I promise, that we will be okay." He rose to grab his son's shoulders.

"The lives we lead...you can't promise that." Chris whispered. Leo cupped his head, forcing their identical eyes to look at the others. Chris licked his lips, containing himself.

"Well then I'll promise I'll try." He smiled. "I will miss you. You know we love you, very much."

Tears shined in both men's eyes and Chris embraced him with a tight squeeze. "I know this is gonna sound stupid, because you would never do this, but I have to ask...please don't change this." He whispered.

"Not on your life, bud." Leo returned the hug, rubbing his son's back reassuringly. "Not on your life."

--------

Later that night, they sat around the dinner table, making amicable conversation as the leftovers grew cold. Each knew with every passing minute, Chris' departure was growing closer and closer. They avoided the topic altogether, all the while dealing with the difficult task of trying to figure out what else they could talk about.

It came to a point where Piper realized they couldn't avoid the topic any longer. She doubted that any of them would be sleeping that night for nerves, but she knew they weren't going to say all of their goodbyes the next morning.

"I'm so happy you came here." She said softly. His eyes widened a little as he realized what she was doing.

"There was nothing else I could do." He replied simply.

"Either way, we're all so proud of you. And we love you."

"Mom..." He sighed, not wanting to make this an emotionally wrought evening. "Can't we just eat cake and relax?"

The corners of her mouth twitched. "Ah, I see, that's why you're so speedy about this. You want cake."

He acknowledged her attempt at humor with a chuckle. "I'm sorry, I guess it can wait a little bit. But if we go too long, you give me no choice but to go in there and attack it."

"Understood." She nodded with a smile, but her eyes soon grew serious. "Let me just get this out, before it gets too hard."

The cheerfulness was sucked from the conversation, leaving only solemn looks on everyone's face. She still smiled sadly at him. "I am so excited...there are no words to explain, how I feel about meeting him." She patted her stomach. "But he's not going to be just like you, and it makes me both happy-because he won't have gone through what you did-but sad, because Chris. You, being here, doing what you did...it proves to your dad and I we weren't complete failure's as parents."

"You weren't any sort of failure's--" He began to object, but Leo silenced him with a soft hand on his forearm.

"We couldn't protect Wyatt in the first future like we should've. As his parents, we should've but didn't and the world paid the price. You paid the price." Leo replied. Chris wanted to object, to claim it wasn't true, because in his eyes it wasn't. But he could tell they would have none of that, so he kept quiet as his mother continued.

"You are lucky now. After all that's happened to you, you get to go back to the future _you _deserve above everyone else. I was able to persuade your dad to talk a little about today, and I know you're worried. Anyone would be. But know this; we are just as excited to see you again, this part of you in 22 years, as you are to be going back to the new future. You're lucky because you don't have to wait that long to be with us again, but we have _22 years_."

His heart began to beat hard in his chest, his throat closing up. He understood what she was saying, and it touched him. They had hated him, been venomous to him...all of which he understood, because of his lies and manipulations. But hearing that the person he was, was someone they loved, _were proud of_ and would miss for so long? Even look forward to seeing again? He swallowed hard and looked down, blinking the light film of tears back.

When he looked up, her urging his head up lightly with her finger, he saw a lone tear make it's way down her face. "We are going to love raising this one, but when it comes time and the two of you become the one...we will be there, for the both of you. And you can be secure in that, because we are your parents and we love you _so much_."

"Mom..." He breathed her name, grabbing her in a hug. "I will miss you so, so much."

"Oh, for all of a second." She joked, knowing full well what may lie ahead in the future. He still smiled back, offering a chuckle before leaning back in the chair. Silence pervaded the area before Paige finally piped in.

"So." She said with a casual nod and glance at all present. "What about that cake?"

-------

As they made their way into the kitchen they had no clue what lay ahead for them. In the attic above, the blue triquetra glowed bright on the wall, and two figures emerged from it. They looked around, quickly acclimating themselves to the surroundings.

"Where are they?" The young woman asked. The young man, a few years older paused, sensing.

"Kitchen." He replied simply, and both nodded as they dissolved into bright blue orbs. They appeared in the living room, mere feet from the entry to the kitchen where the group was gathered. Both could hear chattering and chuckles being exchanged and smiled; it was just how they were told it would be.

"Let's go into the living room," They heard a familiar voice remark. The girl perked.

"That's him!" She exclaimed gleefully.

"Shhh." The young man calmed her. "We can't startle them."

"Are you crazy? On my couch? This chocolate will stain!"

The two grinned at each other, recognizing the tone. In the kitchen, the former scoffed, and both of the strangers in the other room could imagine the look on Chris' face as he answered.

"Well, you may want to charm the couch if it means that much to you. I sense grape stains in the future."

Laughter ensued and they could hear a playful _smack_ as her hand connected with his arm. He shrieked with a laugh, and in the living room, the older man looked down at the woman.

"Okay, now. But you hang back. You remember what mom said."

The girl nodded. The man walked slowly, but with a smile. Their mother had explained everything as soon as their brother had fallen ill, explaining what could be the only reason. The tale had made him reel in horror and he'd had to take his time with it, so much so that it had been a few days since the truth was revealed. But he was confident now, especially if it was what his mother and father wanted him to do.

_"It'll be the proof he needs. That everything changed and is well. Take your sister too."_

He asked why she just wouldn't go, or their dad and she shook her head, not giving an answer; he knew it was because of their Chris though. Ever since the few days before when he had fallen into a trance like stupor, she had been unyielding from his bedside, and their dad joined her, saying he had to comfort her, make sure she was okay. He knew it was a lie though; Leo needed to be by that bedside just as much as their mother did.

So the task fell to him, the older brother, and after hearing the tale of this horrible first future, going into the past for a day to pick him up and bring him home didn't seem extreme in the least.

Their mother warned him. She was vague on the details of his tyranny-which still boggled his mind. He could never imagine himself like that. Not that he was Mr. Goody Two Shoes, but a murdering, evil man who...he shook his head, not even wanting to consider what had happened to his family. She warned him, that Chris would be wary, possibly fearful. Angry. Suspicious.

That was not the younger brother he knew. He looked back at the younger girl behind him, who smiled nervously, motioning him on.

He wondered if she was a product of this alteration of history. If maybe she was apart of what was supposed to be the right way their lives were supposed to work out. And if she wasn't...why hadn't Chris mentioned her to their parents at all when he was in the past?

He followed her lead though and with a shaky breath, took a few more steps before his Aunt Phoebe's face came into view. Her eyes went wide and for a moment, he couldn't believe how young she looked again. He decided not to mention that to her in the future when they were back.

Startled by her face, the others in the kitchen's quickly turned their heads, their body language signaling that they were prepared to fight. That is, all except for the toddler in the corner in his walker.

_Oh wow,_ he thought for a moment. _That's...me. **Weird**._

Their stares brought him back and as Chris' face went white, he resisted the urge to rush and grab him to keep him from possibly fainting. As his mother placed her plate on the counter and took her attack stance, he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Whoa, no. Please. I just..." He was speechless. His eyes were on Chris the entire time and his mind hurried to figure out what to say. He shrugged, coming up with nothing and decided on the most simplistic greeting that mankind has ever known. "Hey guys. You will not believe what I have to tell you."

* * *

AN: I'm sorry, I know, a cliffie. I couldn't help myself. There will probably be a chapter after this, and then maybe an Epilogue, or I may just combine the two, I dunno. Cross that bridge when I come to it. I hope you all enjoyed this though. So close:)


	13. Chapter 13

Wheeeeee! So close...only an Epilogue left!! I can't believe I'm actually FINISHING this! I feel accomplished. And I would like to thank all of you who have hung in here with me for so long, and enjoyed it. Writing is such a fun thing for me, and I'm so happy to have somewhere I can exorcise these creative plot bunnies which plague me. haha!

Speaking of which, another reason this has taken so long for this chapter, is because I've had this idea for a new story and I've written the first chapter for it, so be on the lookout for it...I'm hoping it'll be a good one :)

For right now, I hope you enjoy the second to last chapter of "Trick". Hopefully it won't be too long for the epilogue, since that will be a little shorter than normal chapters. Eh. Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: Not mine :)

* * *

"Oh man..." Paige groaned. "This is amazing. How have we never had this before?"

"We have," Phoebe said with a grin. "It was before your time here."

"And plus, you never asked." Piper added, also grinning as she took another bite, savoring her own good work.

"Not fair." Paige replied, a fake pout on her lips.

Chris chewed, smiling as he looked on and watched. He loved his family; they were crazy, combative, moody, and off the wall. He loved every second of it. He hoped he hadn't changed any of it.

"Let's go into the living room," He suggested. His mother shot him a hairy look.

"Are you crazy? On my couch? This chocolate will stain!"

He smiled a sneaky grin and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, you may want to charm the couch if it means that much to you. I sense grape stains in the future."

"Hey!" She replied with a playful slap on his arm. He yelped in response and scurried to his father's side, laughing.

"Oh don't bring me into this." Leo piped in, nudging way, all the while letting Chris take refuge behind him still. Piper glared at him teasingly.

"Oh yeah, I can see who's gonna have to be the enforcer when _your_ son's acting up."

"Oh so now he's my son?" Leo replied teasingly. Piper just grinned back at him and quickly moved close to him, pecking him on the lips lightly.

"Oh, no, not kissing!" Chris exclaimed, playfully making a face. Phoebe grinned at him.

"Oh so it's okay if you do it?" Phoebe asked. He reddened, and moved back to his ordinary place in the circle, standing directly in front of his aunt.

"I don't kiss in front of them." He grumbled, but maintained the smile. Piper paid attention the entire time, smiling fondly. This was the family she wanted, that she looked forward to for all the years of her life. She prayed, in that moment, it stayed that perfect all the days of her life.

But as usual, something decided to interrupt her perfect moment. Phoebe's eyes bulged at the sight of something behind Chris, and as everyone took note, they turned in unison. Chris felt himself and those around him stiffen, ready to defend themselves.

_Dammit_, he thought. _I knew this was too good to be true._

He turned, prepared to use his telekinesis almost immediately, and froze.

He always wondered how Wyatt had blue eyes. Chris himself had inherited the green eyes from his father; his mother had brown. Wyatt had gotten them from somewhere unknown, a slight joke about the mailman tossed around every now and then when the timing was right as they grew up.

And now, the blue stared back at him, worry and anxiety clouding their gaze. He had felt the bond between them increase over the past few minutes, but he assumed it was just the feeling in the room increasing it between him and little Wyatt. Apparently, he was incorrect.

He saw, out of his peripherals, his mother raise her hands. He wanted to shout no, tell her to stop. Wyatt was two steps ahead.

"Whoa, no. Please. I just..." He paused, confusion on his face until his shoulders sagged. "Hey guys. You won't believe what I'm about to tell you."

There was no doubt of the difference in his brother. He almost wouldn't have recognized him; gone was the long, tangled strands of blonde, the menacing stare that graced his features as well as the ominous looking facial hair. Nor was he clad in all black. No, this Wyatt had almost a crew cut, was clean shaven and wore a blue t-shirt with a design on it over denim jeans. There was nothing fearful about this Wyatt.

Still, Chris' guard went up. It wouldn't be the first time Wyatt would've tricked him. "What are you doing here?" He asked suspiciously, stepping in front of his mother to protect her in case of an attack.

Wyatt's demeanor changed; it had been calm, assured, even almost cheerful. Now, his shoulders sagged low, and sadness and disappointment graced his features. "Mom sent me."

"Oh god," Piper whispered behind Chris, realizing who he was. "Oh, _my god_."

"Why?"

"Because of you. To bring you home, to let you know it was okay to come home."

"What do you mean, okay?" Chris asked warily, although his heart leaped. He didn't think even evil Wyatt would lie so heinously to say their dead mother lived, at least to him.

"20 questions much?" Wyatt sighed.

"They'll go easier if you just answer them." Chris' tone was to the point and sharp. Wyatt's downcast features returned.

"You're sick, back home."

"Sick?" Leo asked, alarmed. "What do you mean sick?"

"I believe you called it a 'catatonic stupor'. Like a trance. He's been in it a couple of days." He paused, contemplating whether explain further.

"So why you and not them?" Chris began again. Wyatt rolled his eyes.

"Come on. One of us goes all zombie and mom or dad leaves us?"

Chris glanced at his father sideways for a second. Sounded like he had kept his promise. He turned back to Wyatt, who had slowly moved closer.

"Slow down, big guy." Phoebe jumped in.

"Aunt Phoebe, I swear, I'm not the bad guy. I can prove it."

"Wait, what did you say?" Chris asked, his eyes narrowed as he caught something; _I'm not the bad guy._ "What do you mean the bad guy, why would we think you may be a...bad guy?"

Wyatt's eyes found the floor. "When you...went under, mom needed us to come back. But we wouldn't, without an explanation. So...she told us, about the other future." Unwillingly, tears filmed his eyes; he was surprised with himself at how emotional it was for him. "I'm so, so sorry you had to do this, kid."

Chris was surprised at that. The evil Wyatt would've never been able to act that well, as to summon tears, as to sound that genuine. Which meant only one thing.

This had to be the good one.

He wanted to jump and shout, to embrace everyone in the room and scream to the high heavens of his success. But something in Wyatt's explanation had caught Leo's attention.

"What do you mean, 'us'? You said your mother wanted 'us', which would mean there's someone with you."

Wyatt looked from his father to Chris. "Well, and that's the other proof, that something is different. You're the only one who can explain how much." He nodded in Chris' direction before he turned, yelling softly to someone they couldn't see. "Hey, come in here." Blue orbs formed next to him as he rolled his eyes as he playfully chided, "You couldn't walk 20 feet."

"Why should I have to?" She asked him with a roll of her eyes. When she turned to the others in the room, though, she smiled from ear to ear. "Hi everybody."

Chris studied her; there was something ridiculously familiar about her, something he could feel about her. She looked about 17 or 18, long flowing brown hair and big brown eyes. Just like his mother.

The realization could've knocked the wind out of him and unbidden emotions came quick. His aunts and parents saw the tears in his eyes come suddenly and realized her importance in this.

"Who is she Chris?" Paige asked.

He just stared. His mind wouldn't even function, and he wanted to thank god for favors. He walked to her slowly, completely-regrettably enough-ignoring Wyatt. "Melly?"

She wrinkled her nose playfully. "You haven't called me that since I was 9 years old Chris."

He wanted to touch her, to make sure she was real, but he was almost afraid to incase she was a mirage. He took her hand though, because he had to be sure. It was warm and soft to the touch. "You're beautiful." He whispered. "All grown up."

The smile left her face. His eyes had glazed over as he was 8 years in the past, remembering something that didn't truly happen. "I didn't get to grow up last time...did I Chris?" Her voice was small. He hugged her instead of answering.

He closed his eyes, not wanting to think of it. The picture of her, so close to 10, flashed into his mind. He was 14 and it was only months after their mother had gone and it was only the three of them and their sick grandfather. He was supposed to be watching after her as Wyatt went around doing God knew what. He was responsible for keeping her safe and he had failed miserably.

"I'm sorry..." He whispered, as if he was getting the chance to apologize to her 10 year old self. He broke the hug, looking at her eyes finally as a tear slipped out. "I'm your big brother, I was supposed to protect you and I couldn't and I'm sorry..."

"Hey, I'm okay, Chris." She assured. "100 real, warm flesh and blood. You saved me after all." She smiled, her own emotions almost getting the best of her.

"Um, wait, wait, wait. Excuse me, um, not to ruin the moment...did you just say big brother?" Piper asked from behind him. He stiffened and groaned lightly.

"Oh yeah." He said, slowly turning as he stayed between his siblings. "I forgot to mention I wasn't your youngest."

"I have 3 kids?" She asked, her mouth agape.

"Way to be air-tight, Chris." Wyatt said with a small grin. His mother had warned him of his brothers' fondness for future consequence warning, but this was not complying with that idea. Chris shot him a look.

"Shut up Wy."

Piper made her way over to the trio, the three of them standing shoulder to shoulder. Leo stood behind her as she examined their faces and smiled.

"You're perfect." She whispered decidedly. They all rolled their eyes with an exasperated sigh.

"Mom..." They dragged out in unison, drawing a laugh from both parents.

Piper let a sad smile settle on her face as the laughter ended. She knew what their presence meant, and if Chris was sick in the future, there was no time for niceties. "So I guess it's time for you to go home then."

Chris was surprised how hard this was for him. He bit his lips, tears filling his eyes as his gaze met Leo's. He was surprised to find his fathers eyes tear filled as well as his mother's. "Don't cry on me." He whispered to his mother.

He felt his brother and sister back up, leaving this past Piper and Leo to speak with Chris. Paige and Phoebe, who had been silent during the entire exchange, followed the duo to speak with them, giving Chris and his parents some privacy. "It's not like we're never gonna see each other again." He softly reminded them.

"But we have to wait 22 years to see you, again. We'll love our Chris, so, so much. But you're special too and we have to wait 22 years..." Piper said. "We're gonna miss you."

"I wasn't planning on leaving until tomorrow." He reminded. "It's like 9 at night."

"But don't they have to get back?" Leo asked. Chris shrugged.

"When I wake up there, I don't want to have to go to sleep and wait until morning to figure everything out. Besides," He asked, his mouth quirking into a cheeky grin. "Are you trying to get rid of me or something?"

"Never." Leo replied quickly, but with a matching grin.

"I think that's a good idea too." Wyatt interrupted, entering the room with his eldest aunt. "It'll give you all time to say goodbye. And Chris has a point. I guess." He grinned.

"You _guess_." Chris snorted, before growing serious. "Well, I guess it would give us time to talk."

Wyatt's rolled his eyes. "All work and no play makes Chris a dull boy."

"All work and no play have kept Chris a _living _boy." Chris joked back, but he could see his brother's face fall. "I didn't mean it like that...I just think there are some things we probably need to hash over before going back."

"No I understand. I'm gonna go...wait with Mel. We'll talk then." Wyatt replied quietly. He shrugged and left the kitchen. Piper turned to follow.

"I'm gonna go talk to him." She said, following her first born, leaving Phoebe and his father with him. They stood in the kitchen, making small talk as Chris picked at the remnants of his uneaten cake. After a few minutes though, Leo made him sit down at the kitchen table and set him straight.

"Don't worry, Chris, he'll be okay. I think you both have things you're gonna have to get used to." Leo reassured as Chris frowned.

"I know, I just feel bad. I didn't mean it like that..."

"We know, and so does he." Phoebe spoke up. "Believe me, I can tell." She winked at him, and his frown settled. "Like your dad said, it's just gonna take some time."

"And we're gonna give you that time, cause I think we all need to head to bed." Leo said. He rose from the table and motioned for the two sitting to follow. As he entered the living room, he greeted his wife who was re-entering the living room. He bent low, his hand on her lower back as he whispered in her ear. Her eyes met Chris's, and then went to the ground as she nodded.

"We're gonna head to bed; it's been a long day and we all need to be fresh for tomorrow. I'll make a big breakfast, it'll be great." They could all see her forced smile as she looked at all of them. She walked a few feet to Chris and arched up, pecking him on the cheek. "Goodnight."

"Night mom." He whispered, watching her retreat after exchanging goodnights' with her other two children. Soon, the three siblings were left alone.

"She went and made the room up for us." Melinda spoke first, quietly. "Before you all came in here, she hurried upstairs and made the room up really quick."

"There's not enough room for all 3 of us in that room. 2, maybe, if we share a bed..."

"I'm not sharing a bed with you. You snore." Wyatt snorted at Chris, which earned him an eye roll from his brother.

"Fine, you can have the couch." He shot back. They all just stared at each other for a few quiet moments, before all breaking into giggles.

"This is weird," Mel began, wiping her eyes. "This is so weird, even for our family."

"I'm just so happy with knowing it worked, I don't even care how weird this is." Chris admitted. Wyatt looked at him seriously.

"How bad was it, then? You have to tell us something."

Chris observed his brother. He knew he couldn't get away with just not saying anything at all. So he had to choose wisely what he would tell.

"Something happened, originally, in this timeline, to make you distrustful, and scared. In the other future, when Mom..." He shook his head. "Mom died, you somehow got this idea that if you could become this all powerful witch, you could control everything. That there was no good or evil; only power. You kind of went a little crazy, but don't worry. I got it under control." He smiled at the end, trying to lighten the quick once over of the tyranny Wyatt. Wyatt didn't seem to find it that funny.

"And me?" Mel asked softly. "I mean, when I orbed in, and you realized who I was, I swear you looked like you'd seen a ghost."

Chris swallowed. He really didn't feel this was necessary; why tell her about her death when it didn't matter?

"It matters to me." She urged, as if reading his mind and with a calculated look, he realized she had.

"Well, that's certainly a new one." He muttered, referring to her power. She grinned, but the rest of her body language still urged him to tell her the truth. He sighed. "You were 10. Mom was...gone. And we were all really still in shock. Wyatt was gone all the time, recruiting, working the underworld. Dad was...nowhere, yet again. Grieving more than likely, but it still seemed like he was abandoning us." He took a deep breath. "And you and I lived with Grandpa. One day you went out, and I...I should've gone with you but I didn't. And you never came back."

"Oh jeez..." She breathed.

"That's it; I'm not saying anything else." He replied hurriedly as he saw her distress. He felt his brothers' warm hand on his back, and he turned, looking into the blue eyes.

"Yes, you are. You need to Chris."

"No, I don't." He argued stubbornly. Wyatt crouched to his level, as if preparing to talk to a petulant child.

"Mom and Dad are a big part of our future; so are the aunts. But Chris, we know you...at least the you from our future and we know that a lot of times, when you have a problem, you bottle it up. We want you to be able to talk to us about some of this."

"It's not your burden to bear."

"We could say the same for you about this situation." Wyatt rounded back. They sat staring at each other stubbornly, neither one wanting to give. Melinda's hand found Chris'.

"Let us help you." She whispered softly. "You've helped us all...hell, you've helped the world, so much. Let us help you, let us help you bear the burden. We're family, Chris. This is what family does." She urged.

He looked into her brown eyes that were sincere and sad, and he nodded. For her, and for him. He would do it.

"Okay, but it won't be that much. It might take a bit...how about we polish off the last of mom's cake while we do?" He offered, trying to lighten the heavy mood the situation had just taken on. Wyatt grinned.

"You've got a deal."

------

The night lived on a few more hours for the three grown children as Chris recanted things he thought to be relevant. All of them shed some tears, but in the end, as they fell asleep together on the floor, he was able to relax and not worry for the first time in 8 years. He didn't care what it had taken to get there.

In the morning, Piper awakened extra early, cooking enough to feed a small army. They drew out the breakfast, and all helped with the dishes, washing and drying them before putting them up slowly as they chatted. They knew it was all leading to one point and in the end, when every last fork and knife was polished and in the drawer, Leo felt it was his duty to bring up the inevitable.

"It's already 2." He said finally, facing Piper. "I think we need to get this started."

For the first time in the day that his siblings had been there, Chris was scared. He looked at his mother wide-eyed, and she noticed as Wyatt edged close to him protectively, placing a gentle hand on his younger brothers' shoulder as his eyes met her worried gaze as well and received the message he was sending with them.

_I'll take care of him._

They all made their way up to the attic and Wyatt and Melinda stood back, letting Chris say his goodbyes. The aunts were quick and good natured as they tried to lighten the somber mood, but it was when he got to his father and mother that he teared a little.

"We've been through a lot, haven't we?" He asked softly. Piper grabbed him tightly in a hug and Leo softly embraced the two at once.

"I love you." She muffled into his side. "Thank you for this, Chris. You are a remarkable kid." She pulled back, not wanting to make her other two feel inadequate. "All three of you are remarkable people."

"And we love you all already, very much." Leo interjected as well, having nothing to really say since he'd already had his emotional goodbye earlier the night before. It didn't stop him, though, from placing a kiss on his temple as he pulled back and patted his sons back, roping an arm around his wife's waist as silent tears made their way down her cheeks. She broke away, walking to her other two future children.

"I'm so happy I got to meet you guys, to see you. I'm almost afraid for the next 22 years to go by so fast and have you grow up on me." She said sadly. She hugged them both, telling them she loved them, and rejoined her sisters as she tried to wipe her tears away. Leo followed suit, telling them he loved them, and couldn't wait to meet his daughter. When the hugs were done and the lines seemed drawn, that was it.

The aunts and the parents stood on one side, and the three young adults on the other. They faced the wall as they heard the Charmed Ones begin their chant and felt a warmth as the giant triquetra on the wall began to glow. Wyatt and Melinda swayed with the intention of stepping forward but stopped as they saw Chris rooted in his place.

He looked back over his shoulder, just once, just wanting to remember all of this, preparing himself for the battle ahead. For the merging of two souls, two lives, two sets of memories. His parents' expressions grew concerned and for just a moment, he wanted to turn back, but he felt a hand grasp his tightly. He turned to see his brother staring at him.

"You're not going through this alone." Wyatt reassured, choking on emotion in his throat. "I won't let you go through this alone."

He looked at Melinda, whose expression mirrored Wyatt's and Chris had a realization. This wasn't going to be easy but everything he had fought for, everything he needed in life was right here. He had won, and he wasn't alone anymore. He grabbed her hand too, feeling the time slipping away for the portal to be open.

"Let's go home." He said, and without another look back, followed his siblings into the portal as it closed behind them.

----


End file.
